Knights and Warriors
by The Altered Destinies
Summary: A promise made, a promise unfulfilled, and the Goddess Amaterasu decides to rectify this oversight by entering the Bet and making a *slight* alteration to Ranma's timeline, bringing him into early contact with the Kunos.
1. Chapter 1

"The Bet"

Knights and Warriors

A Kodachi Story

By Jim Robert Bader

(Standard Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi created these people, I just borrowed them for a bit of fun)

Inspired by Gregg Sharp's "The Bet" series.

Part One.

Feud.

Amaterasu Omikami, Goddess of the Sun and Queen of the Japanese Heaven, looked with annoyance at her two brother gods, Susanowo and Tsukiyomi. They were playing games with the mortals, like always, but this time they were engaged in an intense competition with the other Gods of rival pantheons to see which of them could create a stable universe by altering the past of one particular timeline.

By itself there was nothing at all unusual about this, but the timeline in question revolved around a certain Nexus of probabilities named Saotome Ranma. Amatarasu had more than a passing familiar with the young man and his rather unique situation, it anything she had been amused by reviewing his past history and seeing the foibles he got into on more than a few occasions.

She knew, for example, that Susanowo had a personal interest in the boy, being that he had once touched paths with one of his daughters during her brief sojourn upon the Earth, and indeed that was the problem with these Nexus characters and the way they tended to affect the probability lines of their home dimensions. Ranma was like a magnet for trouble and every thing he did caused problems and complications to the larger surroundings of his environs. The boy was clueless as to the nature of his peculiar problem, having no one on hand to explain why his life seemed to revolve in such interesting circles. He was also very charismatic when it came to women of a violent persuasion, hence his attraction of four powerful combat fianc es, each vying for his attention...

Well, make that three fianc es and one problem child who had developed an obsessive interest in the boy. Amatarasu frowned as she thought on this for a moment, a nagging element centering on the one named Kuno Kodachi that struck a bell in her mind as she sat back upon her throne chair surveying the planet.

Kodachi...where had that name been countered before? She turned her attention towards the wall-sized mirror that was positioned to her left, swiveled her chair about and called up the Akashik Memory Storage Files from the Yggdrasil 2000 Computer Network that managed such things in the Japanese Heaven.

The device was a wonderful innovation of her brother's, combining the ancient arts of the Gods with the technological wonders of the modern age to save so much time and energy that used to be expended whenever a Goddess wanted to know something about a particular mortal. She found the file she needed and mentally clicked on it, then waited for the full download, thinking to herself that there were still a lot of bugs in the Yggdrasil '98 Windows program. She made a mental note to speak with her niece Skuld about this sometime...

All at once the file was opened up before her, and with the speed of thought Amatarasu scanned though the long forgotten ledger detailing a person's life, finding what she wanted in a matter of nanoseconds.

"Oh my," she commented aloud, sitting back in her chair in belated realization.

No wonder that name had sounded so familiar! It had been invoked in a dying prayer issued by a desperate woman in her last few seconds of life. The woman had committed Seppuku in the ancient ways, but without a second to help speed things along she had made rather much of a mess of it and wound up taking as long as a quarter of an hour to finally die. That had given her children time enough to see her laying in a pool of her own blood while still partly living, and the effect it had upon them had scarred them both for life. Such a horrible tragedy...no wonder the Old Ways were no longer as fervently practiced!

If not for her dignity as the supreme goddess of Heaven, Amatarasu would have given herself a swift kick in the rear (which is possible for gods but very difficult for mortals). Nearly ten years had elapsed without the prayer being fulfilled, and being a death prayer meant that it was very significant. Such a terrible screw-up, just the kind of thing that kept piling up with the tremendous backlog they had been suffering lately. There were simply too many prayers by too many worshippers to keep up with, and with Susanowo's daughters presently on earth they were terribly shorthanded in Heaven...

Amatarasu paused, thinking for a moment of what an embarrassment it was for her that her name had been invoked in the death prayer. It was certainly a poor reflection on her abilities as supreme Kami to let such a prayer go unanswered, and so simple a request: "Look after my Daughter..."

If the other Queens of Heaven should ever discover that she had slipped up this badly...

She smiled, glancing back at her two brothers, who were engrossed in their game of the Timelines. Boys with their toys...well, the girls could play this game just as well, and she had an idea of just what sort of change she could affect in a certain timeline. She made a mental note to summon up Toltiir, the cat deity behind it all, and was ready when he appeared to make her entry, then she would sit back and watch as it all happened...

-  
-

"Bend, stretch, reach out, now leap high!" her mother commanded, and little Kodachi tried very hard to perform up to the exacting standards of her parent. It was not easy, being all of eight years old and extremely limber for her size and age, yet somehow never able to do it just right. She executed another backflip, caught her balance on the narrow beam then continue her motion into a roll with her feet curling under her as she straightened up again and extended her arms as though posing before an audience.

"Again!" her mother snapped, "Do it gracefully, with style, flowing. You must become one with the rhythm and never permit yourself to become distracted!"

"Yes mother," Kodachi replied, wincing slightly as she expected to be hit with the cane again as a reminder of good performance. When the blow did not arrive she licked her lips and awaited the command to repeat the routine all over. This time she performed it flawlessly with each little nuance in place, along with the pasted smile that she was supposed to wear to signify that she was a happy child, gay and carefree.

"Much better," her mother replied, and Kodachi breathed just a bit more easily while trying to relax and ready herself for her mother's next commandment.

"You must understand why I do this, child," her mother began to pace in what Kodachi knew to be the pattern for one of her standard lectures, "You are being groomed to fulfill a dream, a dream that I could not fulfill, and if some sacrificed must be made to achieve this dream, then believe that they are necessary. You will become the star that I should have been when I was so much younger, to represent your country in the Olympics and achieve the glory that I could not achieve. That is why I am so hard with you, and why you must listen to my instructions and do exactly as I tell you to the letter!"

She rapped her cane on the floor to emphasize her point, and with each rap Kodachi winced a little, half expecting to feel the cane against her bottom. Her mother seemed to content herself with just a verbal reprimand this time, but Kodachi knew she would not be so fortunate for long if she made another mistake and further aggravated her mother.

"Momma!" a voice suddenly intruded on their private session, and both mother and daughter turned to see her older brother, Tatewaki, stagger in holding one arm as he fought back against the tears he might otherwise have been shedding.

"What is it, my darling Tachi!" their mother said, at once reverting to the protective parent that she sometimes was to both of them, leaving Kodachi to breathe a sigh of relief as she watched her mother go to her brother and examine his latest injury.

"I was practicing and I fell down," Tatewaki said as he held his wrist out, "I think I sprained it."

"You should be more careful!" their mother hissed, "You didn't do this working out with your sword in the dojo, how did this happen?"

Tatewaki immediately had that guilty look on his face that as much as said that he had been doing something he was not supposed to be doing. When he did not answer their mother grabbed him by the arms and shook him.

"Tell me what you did!" she all but shouted in his face, "How did you hurt yourself, Tachi? I'm your mother, I demand that you answer!"

"I fell off a wall storming the enemy citadel!" Tatewaki replied, "The enemy was fierce and unstoppable, but I prevailed against their tide and nearly won the day through..."

"Oh, did you now?" their mother's tone changed abruptly as she played with her son's cheek, her mercurial temper shifting from one mode to the other as she once again became the adoring mother, "That's my little Samurai, such a brave, handsome, fearless little man. Your father will be very proud to hear how strong and heroic you are becoming. But you must remember to be careful while you are playing these games, it still hurts when you fall. Lucky this time it was just a light sprain, the next time you might very well break it."

She squeezed his wrist for emphasis and Tatewaki's face contorted in pain. She let it go again and hugged him to her body, then straightened up and said, "Never forget that you are a son of nobility, the descendant of a long and noble line of warriors who defended our land against its enemies. Your great grandfather died in the Great War, and you will honor his memory by never forgetting that you are a part of a long tradition."

"I will remember, mother," Tatewaki said, "But...didn't grandmother also say that grandpa lived beyond the war and died in bed with a..."

Their mother cuffed her son on the ear and said, "Don't talk that way about your great grandfather! My Grandfather was a great man and a fine warrior who taught my father to be proud of our heritage, and he taught me in turn to be proud of our long and illustrious history. Never mind those silly rumors that my mother sometimes tells to make him seem less great, like any common peasant."

"Now hey now," said another familiar voice, causing them all to turn once again to see the man in the business suit come through the door of the gymnasium with a broad grin on his face as he surveyed them in return, "You're all here together! That's just the way a family should be. I just closed another deal and I felt like taking the rest of the day off to celebrate with my favorite people in the whole wide world."

Daddy!" Kodachi said with enthusiasm as she leaped off the balance beam and ran up with arms spread wide to embrace her father.

"Father, you've come home," Tatewaki said with somewhat more reserve as their mother straightened up and immediately assumed the pose of a dutiful wife smiling at her husband.

"Welcome home, dear," she said, "What a rare and unexpected pleasure it is to greet you while it's still day out."

"Can't a man come home to his loving wife and children?" their father said somewhat defensively, but his smile never wavered, "Come on, everyone get dressed, we're going out on the town! I thought we might visit the zoo, take in the park, do all kinds of stuff like normal people."

"Since when are we normal people, father?" Tatewaki asked, "We are special, not like the common herd..."

"You've been listening too much to your mother," the senior Kuno replied, "Hey, put on your Sunday best, my little Samurai, and let your old father show you a real good time. You too, little sunflower, show your daddy what a fine little lady you're becoming."

"Yes, father!" Kodachi said brightly, feeling genuine excitement now that the thought of going outside had been mentioned. It had been so long since their father had done anything with either her or Tatewaki, and most of the time all their parents seemed to do was argue very loudly. The chance to do anything even halfway normal seemed like heaven compared to the daily grind of training. She ran into the house to get dressed, wanting to try out the new dress her mother had bought her for her birthday, the one she had never gotten the chance to wear, even if she was only dressing to show herself off before the common people.

Better to be common on a day like today than to be a captive princess in a tower waiting for her shining hero to stage a heroic rescue...a hero who never seemed to appear outside of her dreams of a life where she was loved and protected and never had to fear for another beating or the ever-present shadow of a parent...

"I'm hungry, Dad," said little Ranma as he felt his growling stomach once again, "When are we gonna eat?"

"Be patient, son," replied Genma, "Your father is working on it, and just as soon as I've figured it out we're both going to eat. Just think of it as another part of your training."

Ranma silently fumed as he sat back on the bench and shot daggers at his father. His Dad always said something like that to cover up for the fact that they were always running out of money and nearly always hungry. The few bucks he managed to find never lasted very long, so a lot of the time when they were supposedly "in-training" they were sitting around like this looking for ways of getting enough food to fill their bellies.

"We could go check out some restaurants," he half-heartedly suggested, disgusted that he would even think about dumpster diving, even if some of the stuff those places threw away was good enough to feed a family.

"Already thought of that, son," Genma remarked, "But the best time to hunt for scraps is after hours when no one can see you."

"How 'bout we both get jobs and earn some stuff?" Ranma asked, "That's what normal people do..."

"We're not normal people, son," Genma reminded him, "We're Martial Artists."

Ranma huffed at that, wondering what his mother would be cooking for dinner right now, and why did they never stop home to check up on her? It had been more than two years and he missed her terribly. It was getting harder every day to even remember what she looked like!

Genma suddenly sat up and said, "Well, well...maybe there is something we can do to change our fortunes?"

Ranma shot a look at his father, then turned to follow his gaze and felt a sinking sensation in his belly that was all too familiar and sometimes even replaced the hunger. There was a family strolling through the park, a man and woman with two kids about his age. He knew without asking what his father was going to suggest and said, "Pop..." in a low tone of warning.

"I'm not going to steal anything, son," his father replied in a tone of voice that made Ranma know that he was lying, "I'm just going to ask the gentleman a simple question, nothing to get too alarmed about. Besides, I can tell he's a fellow Martial Artist."

"Huh?" Ranma blinked, "You can? How?"

"From the way he moves, of course," Genma said as he got to his feet and started walking, "You get far enough along in the arts, boy, and you'll be able to spot them yourself. Notice the glide to his step? I'll bet he hardly makes a sound, very smooth and catlike."

Ranma followed his father like a dutiful son, but mostly to keep him out of trouble, like the last time this had happened. They had almost been nailed by that Cop and if Ranma hadn't run interference he might have wound up in one of those child custody homes while his father was sent up the river.

"Now just watch your old man and learn," Genma said casually, his sandals hardly scuffing the ground as he walked up to the fellow and casually called out, "Hello, sir, can I possibly trouble you for some directions to..."

To Ranma's surprise and Genma's amazement the man in the fine suit glanced in annoyance their way and started to give a sharp brush-off when his face froze in a look of shocked recognition. He halted, forcing the rest of his family to do likewise, and then the man turned fully towards them and said, "Genma? Saotome Genma? Is that you?"

"What...?" Genma halted as if his entire scripted thought processes had been derailed, then he, too, showed signs of clear recognition, "Godai-san? Kuno Godai? Is that really you and...Hitome?"

"Genma-san," replied the woman at the side of the well-dressed man, "It has been a while...over ten years, if I'm not mistaken."

"Well," Genma remarked with a broad grin, "I can see you two have been doing well together. Are these your children?"

"Hai," said the man, who Ranma now noticed had a very strong accent to his Japanese, implying that he was actually foreign, "My son, Tatewaki, who's nine years old, and this is my daughter, Kodachi, who is eight. And the boy?" he nodded towards Ranma.

"My son," Genma said proudly, clapping Ranma on the back, "Ranma, who's also just turned eight this year. I've been taking him with me on a training mission..."

"Oh?" the man said, "You mean like the ones you used to go on with that grandfather of yours, the pervert?"

"The Master...is no longer with us," Genma said with a solemn bow of his head, yet something in his tone implied that he did not actually mean it, "There's just me and Tendo now and our children..."

"So Tendo-san is doing well," replied the woman, looking oddly at Ranma before saying, "So...this is the son of Nodoka. What a handsome boy he is...you must be very proud."

Ranma wondered why the woman was giving him the funny stare, but he was more interested in exchanging looks with the boy and the girl. His first impression of the boy was that the kid was snooty, looking down his nose at him as if he were some kind of insect. The girl, on the other hand, was giving him the oddest kind of study, and Ranma was studying her back, thinking to himself that she was kind of pretty...for a girl, that is.

"So," the man said casually, "What have you been doing for yourself since you graduated from High School?"

"Oh, I travel mostly," Genma replied, "The boy is my life, you see, and raising him is enough of a job for any man..."

"In other words you're broke like always," the woman said snootily, "Same old Genma. I guess Nodoka-san wasn't enough of a woman to tame you after all. I always thought what you needed was stronger maternal guidance."

"Now dear, be nice," the man said before turning back to Genma, "Tell you what, Saotome-san, why don't you come with us for a while and I'll buy you and your son dinner at a local restaurant I know. It will be just like old times between us."

"Oh, I wouldn't want to trouble you," Genma replied, causing Ranma to look at his father as if he had just been replaced by an imposter, "But it's very generous of your to offer..."

"We insist," the woman said with an odd gleam in her expression, "We seldom get to talk with people from the old days, and High School was such a long time ago. Besides, you were just saying that our children should get to meet more of the common people, weren't you darling?"

"I did at that," the well dressed man smiled, "Then it's settled! I know this place that serves Sushi, and the service is excellent. I'll hear no more talk of modesty from you, Saotome. You're our guests, and you'll be treated like one for the remainder of the evening."

"Well," Genma smiled, "If you insist...what do you say, boy?"

"Sushi?" Ranma's mouth began to water.

"You even drool like a peasant," the little boy suddenly spoke up, "I'll bet you haven't any more manners than a common street urchin."

"Tatewaki," the girl whined, clearly annoyed at her brother's rude behavior.

"Who are you calling a peasant?" Ranma suddenly spoke up, "I got just as much manners as you, I'll bet!"

"Someone should teach you manners first," the boy said, reaching into his shirt and pulling out his two-foot long practice sword.

"Boys," the man said in a jovial tone, "No fighting before dinner. If you want to show off how good you both are you can wait after we've filled our bellies."

"No, dear," his wife suddenly spoke up, "Let them fight. If Genma-san has been training him then the boy ought to provide an excellent test of Tachi's skills. Just be careful not to ruffle up your clothing."

"Mom," Tatewaki growled in a tone that had to be a universal constant between sons and mothers.

"Take your best shot," said Ranma as he eased away from his father's side to stand on the grass with enough room to maneuver, "I'm ready for you."

"We'll see about that, varlet!" the boy cried out, "Have at you!"

Tatewaki lunged forward with a sweeping thrust attack, but Ranma just vaulted over him and landed on top of the other boy's head, knocking him into the grass before sitting down there with his arms and legs folded.

"Told ya!" Ranma said matter-of-factly.

Kodachi covered her mouth in a vain attempt at stifling a chuckle, knowing that it was not properly lady-like to laugh at her older brother's discomfort. The way this peasant boy had taken Tachi down had been so casual and easy that she could not help herself. Tatewaki deserved to have some of the hot air let out of his sails, and this Saotome Ranma was so obviously a much better fighter.

"Well now," said her father, "The boy does have some skill in the arts. Not everybody gets the drop on my son like that."

"Father!" Tatewaki complained before growling at Ranma, "Get off of my back!"

"That's enough, boy," Genma said firmly, "I didn't raise you to be a bully, Ranma. You two bow to each other and apologize, then agree that you'll both be good friends from now on."

"Never," Tatewaki growled as Ranma got off of him and allowed him to regain his footing, "You didn't win, you cheated! I tripped and fell down, but next time I'll be ready!"

"Yeah, right," Ranma huffed, "What's the matter with you? Can't admit you lost fair and square?"

"He's right, boy," Genma said to the other child, "There's no dishonor in admitting that you've been bested by a superior fighter..."

"Superior?" Tatewaki said, "Him?"

"You lost, Tachi!" Kodachi growled, "Why don't you just come out and admit it?"

"A Samurai never concedes victory to his opponent!" Tatewaki declared, "I will never yield to defeat from anyone! Some day I will be the greatest Samurai Japan has ever seen..."

"Now son," their father said, "There's a difference between being a great fighter and being the best in the world. Take it from your old man, losing isn't the end of a battle, it's just a phase you go through on the way to getting even better. Genma here and I used to fight a lot when we were kids, but we got over it, just as you will...although I wouldn't mind a chance for a rematch," the man smiled with a gleam in his eye.

"If you brought your scissors then you're going to find yourself disappointed," Genma replied as he smiled back and did not bother to point out the fact that he was bald beneath his bandana.

"I don't need scissors to show you what I've learned," the other man grinned, "Then it's settled, after dinner?"

"Since you're buying, far be it from me to refuse the entertainment," Genma agreed, and the two men stretched out their hands to shake on it in the Western fashion.

"Nothing ever really changes," sighed Hitome as she eyed the two men, but there was something about the way she said it...and the gleam in her eyes as she looked towards his father, that made Ranma feel uneasy, though he could in no way say what exactly it was that made him feel most uneasy...

The fight between the fathers was brief since both had drunk more than their share of Saki, and instead it wound up with the two men slouched over their table swapping old stories while Hitome looked bored and instead turned her focus towards the children.

She could not help noticing that Kodachi was hanging very close to the side of little Ranma, enjoying the sight of the good looking boy while Tatewaki fumed and tried to act pompous. Hitome could not help but share her daughter's interest in the son of Genma, but for very different reasons. She was haunted by a memory, a time long past when she had been but a girl herself and not yet resolved to marry Godai. She recalled what Genma had been like in those days, and looking on him now she saw the shadows of that younger man. Then she remembered Nodoka and something in her belly knotted tightly.

The Saotome charm, they had called it, that mysterious ability Genma had of attracting the attention of various and unusual women, like the Amazon and that half-demoness, Atsuko. Nodoka had been far from the only rival in those days, but what it was that gave her the edge always puzzled Hitome, for Musakai Nodoka had seemed a plain and ordinary young thing, even if she were nobility descended from the house of a great Daimyo.

The boy was plainly a little charmer, and far more handsome than his father. It tormented Hitome inside to think of what might have been had she not married Godai for his money. She had thought that love would be an element in their marriage, and Godai did sometimes make an effort at being loving, but...he was too self-absorbed in his work, too compulsive and career oriented. A sharp dresser, to be sure, and immaculately groomed, but starting to give out a little around the waist, and his eyesight was failing slightly. He'd taken to carrying around a pair of sunshades whenever he went outdoors, and the man was so scatter-brained at times that he often forgot and left things unattended...like birthdays and holidays, not to mention the tenth anniversary of their marriage...

She continued staring at the boy while her husband drunk himself into a stupor with Genma. How might those old days have turned out if she had fought harder for Genma's attention? True the field was at times very crowded, but she thought herself beautiful enough that she might have competed with her rivals for charm. She had been in excellent physical condition and could hold her own in a fight, Captain of the Gymnastics and Cheerleader teams simultaneously, not to mention the Kendo and Archery clubs. Indeed, what did she have to fear from the likes of a Samurai, an Amazon or a half-Demon?

So what if Genma was as poor as dirt and generally uncultured...he was a MAN, and that was all that she had truly been after. The fact that he was a little stupid actually would have worked to her advantage as she could have manipulated him into the fortune that would otherwise have eluded him. Nodoka had obviously not worked any such influence or else why did he abandon her to live on the streets like a vagabond? He must have tired of her conservative nature and decided that a life of freedom was worth the poverty that came with such an existence...

She started as she heard her name being called, turning to find a soused Genma smiling at her while Godai was already nearly passed out on the table.

"You sure look good, Hitome-chan," Genma smiled, "And such a wonderful mother you are, having kids like that...yeah...you sure are a swell lady..."

That was all he said before joining her husband in recumbent inebriation.

Hitome felt a strange kind of thrill as she unconsciously primped her hair and felt herself flush like a schoolgirl. The compliment, coming from him, brought back old memories and made her wonder why he could not have noticed the kind of woman she was back then, when it would have mattered? Why were men so cruel to ignore great beauty for the sake of women they would later ignore once they had their way with them in marriage? It was so unfair, her life was such a tragedy, and the injury that had robbed her of her graceful stride and left her this crippled wreck of a housewife...it was more than any human being could endure! If not for her two beautiful children she was certain that she would go mad, for they were now the entire sum of her existence!

"What's wrong with father?" she heard Tachi asked, disturbing her from her distraught meditations and causing her to focus on the two men slumped over their table.

"Too much to drink, just like with my Pop," Ranma snorted, "Stupid old man, shouldn't drink more than he can handle."

"My father isn't a stupid old man," Kodachi said defensively.

"I didn't mean your Pop," Ranma said, pointing at Genma, "I mean him. Stupid, worthless old man..."

Something in the attitude of the boy made Hitome smile, and then she turned to a disapproving waiter and requested the use of a cab. An idea was forming in her mind and her husband's current state was fortuitous in that it allowed her a certain latitude of direction...

"Explain this again?" asked Godai while nursing a cup of hot Cha to ease the hangover he was feeling.

"It's quite simple, darling," Hitome replied, "You invited Saotome-san and his son to spend the night in our mansion. We certainly have room enough to accommodate a few houseguests..."

"Maybe so," Godai replied, "But I don't remember feeling that generous last night. You sure they're still sleeping it off?"

"Positive," Hitome replied, "Why, with the amount of Saki Genma-san imbibed I doubt if he's in much better condition than you..."

"Hold on a moment," Godai said, touching his wife's shoulder as he paused to listen carefully, then said, "What is that sound?"

Hitome blinked, then cocked her own ears before saying, "It sounds like...someone is fighting."

"It's coming from the gym," Godai remarked, already turning and heading off that way with his wife in close pursuit.

Moments later the two of them stood at the doorway to the Kuno Mansion gymnasium watching a fight that was in progress with Saotome Genma very much awake and sober, squaring off against his fast-moving son, who was doing a good impression of someone trying to pound is old man into hamburger.

"Stupid old man!" Ranma was growling, "How dare you embarrass me like that in front of other people! Can't you for once hold back on your drinking?"

"What do you know about it, Boy?" Genma replied as he fought back with equal energy, playing with his son as if to encourage his anger while fighting mostly defensive with a few attacks to prod his son into maintaining his defenses, "Strong drink can humble any man, but what's the point of life if we can't enjoy the rare moments of happiness it affords us?"

"Happiness?" Ranma snarled, "I'll show you happiness!" and with that he launched a new assault that actually pushed his father to the edge warding against numerous attacks from the miniature whirlwind.

To one side sat Kodachi and Tatewaki, each watching the father and son altercation with very impressed expressions. Kodachi's eyes were shining with admiration for the boy while her brother was sulking less resentfully than on the previous evening. At last he murmured aloud, "Well...maybe he is a bit skilled, but I still say he cheated against me."

Hitome was more than impressed as she watched Genma taunt his boy to attack with full fury. Such exceptional training methods...why had she never thought of inspiring such emotions in her son and daughter to make them practice with more vigor? Genma was encouraging his son to fight all out without holding back and thus forced the boy to draw on reserves of energy few children his age ever learned to tap into. It was an amazing display, and it caused her more than a little bit of envy.

That should be my son, she thought to herself, my boy who is training with his father. It could have been me who gave him such an exceptional fighter, rather than Godai's weak and pathetic genes leaving her offspring unable to perform up to their ideal peak standards. A dark cloud appeared behind her eyes as she thought of all the lonely nights she had spent crying herself to sleep over her useless, pathetic husband...

While she was thinking this to herself her husband was murmuring to himself, "What amazing recuperative powers, throwing off a hangover to perform at such high standards. I think there must be more to Saotome-san than I ever suspected back in high school."

There came a pause in the action between father and son, and Kodachi saw her chance to leap up and approach them smiling brightly as she said, "You're very good Ranma-san. And you practice like this every day?"

"Oh sure," Ranma said as he brushed his brow of sweat and smiled at the dark haired girl approaching him, "Pop and me do this all the time. It's no big deal, even if he does mess up a lot and make me look bad in front of people."

"You're very lucky, you know," Kodachi mused, "Not everybody has a father who takes so much time to train with you. My father is a busy man who spends all his time earning money so that we can live a life of luxury and privilege."

"Oh yeah?" Ranma asked, "Wanna trade?"

Kodachi laughed at that and said, "You're so funny!"

"You're not done with practice yet, boy," Genma remarked, "Another hour of training or you're going to get soft..."

"Excuse me, honored Saotome-san," Kodachi urged, taking Ranma's hand while the boy looked at her oddly, "But can I borrow your son for a few minutes. I want to show him some of my training in Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics."

"Martial Arts what?" Ranma blinked his eyes.

"It's what my mother is training me in," Kodachi grinned at his confused expression, and then fell backwards as she reached out to catch the floor with both hands and tumbled back several paces before righting herself again with arms raised like a ballerina.

"Go ahead, boy," Genma smiled affably, "I'll allow you a few minutes of break time, but after that I'll expect you to make up with harder training."

"Your pardon again, honored sir," Kodachi smiled again with all the charm that she could muster, "But while I'm showing Ranma-san my moves perhaps you could give Tatewaki a few pointers. He needs to work on his hand-to-hand skills..."

"I do not!" Tatewaki protested, but Genma turned a friendly eye his way and said, "I'll see what I can do for the boy...that is if Godai-san doesn't object?"

"Be my guest," Godai replied, "I'd like to see what you could teach my boy since I haven't had enough time lately to coach him in his swordwork, which reminds me...SASUKE!"

At the senior Kuno's command a teenaged boy came scurrying into the room dressed in the ceremonial attire of a Ninja, "Coming, Master! Your faithful servant will attend-ooofff!"

The latter part was spoken because the little man tripped over his own feet coming onto the practice mat and barely managed to catch himself in a roll that ended abruptly with him sitting on his own face with a slightly dazed expression.

"Man," Ranma sniffed, "Is that guy pathetic or what...ow! What did you do that for?"

"Don't make fun of Sasuke," Kodachi chided, "His family has been in our service for nine generations. He's only recently taken up the duties that used to belong to his father."

"It's all right, 'Dachi-chan," Godai smiled at her before turning a sad look Sasuke's way, "You're lucky your father isn't here to see you like this, Sasuke. Now pick yourself up and tell us what we are having for breakfast this morning."

"As you wish, Master," the teenaged boy replied, sitting upright before bowing down to Godai with a very contrite expression.

"This way," Kodachi urged Ranma, guiding him across the space of the huge gymnasium to where a set of uneven parallel bars were set, then with a happy smile she leaped into the bars and began to execute a nearly flawless performance worthy of an Olympic gymnast.

"Wow!" Ranma said as Kodachi executed a nearly perfect dismount, "Awesome! You're very good, but you kinda overextended yourself at the end there. Maybe if you put more effort when you bend your knees for the dismount..."

Kodachi's joy at receiving his praise turned to outrage at the very idea of being corrected, "More...are you saying I'm not good enough?"

"Huh?" Ranma was surprised at the anger in her voice, "No, what I meant was you could do even better..."

"Like I suppose you can?" Kodachi huffed, "I'd like to see you try it!"

"Well, okay," Ranma shrugged, "Since you asked..."

Ranma hopped up onto the bars and began to duplicate Kodachi's efforts, flawlessly executing a series of vaults and somersaults on the bars until the time came for the final dismount, and then he soared much higher than Kodachi had gone and came down with a one-point landing on his feet, looking matter-of-  
fact pleased with himself as he said, "You see? You get much better height on the leap which gives you more time to do more tumbles."

Kodachi managed to close her mouth after several seconds of effort then said, "How...I didn't know you knew Gymnastics..."

"It's Kenpo," Ranma replied, "Kind of like all sorts of stuff rolled together. Pops been teaching me to do stuff like that as long as I can remember. I don't wanna make you look bad or nothing, Kodachi, it's just I think you're great and I know you got it in you to be even better."

"You...really think so?" Kodachi faintly murmured.

"Sure!" Ranma said as he patted her on the shoulder, "You're a real champ, I can tell! Like you said, most kids aren't as lucky as we are having our folks personally train us, and you even get to do it with your mother..."

"Ah..." Kodachi's good mood dissipated a little at the mention of her mother, who would have thrown a fit at anything less than a perfect performance, "Well...I try hard to do good, but sometimes I...have a little trouble keeping my focus..."

"Then don't think about it," Ranma said, "Just let your body do what comes natural to you. The less you have to think about performing, the easier it is to do it, or so Pop always tells me."

"Why do you...talk the way you do to your father?" Kodachi hesitated, having secretly admired the boy's strong assertiveness in the face of a parent.

"Ah, Pop doesn't mind, and it helps me blow off steam," Ranma replied, "He's always doing stuff to make me mad, but I guess it's because he's a little stupid and slow at times. I gotta put up with a lot because he don't know any better, not that I let him get away with that much around me."

Kodachi's eyes shone with emotion as she took in the confident way that Ranma matter-of-factly stated his independence. She tried to imagine herself talking back like that to her mother and...cringed inside, knowing she would never have such courage.

"Here, let me show you something," Ranma said, walking over to the balance beam and hopping onto it before turning around and saying, "Come up here and try it with me."

"Try what, Ranma?" Kodachi asked as she walked up to the balance beam, set one hand on it, then rolled into a one-handed standing posture before arching her back and setting her small feet on the beam in front of Ranma, giving him a very kawaii look with their faces apart by only inches.

"Hey," Ranma backed away in surprise, "That's not too bad. I mean...here, try this with me, will ya?"

Kodachi eyed the boy curiously as Ranma held out his right hand towards her, and after only a little hesitation she took it with her left. Ranma smiled, then turned to face in a direction off to the left side of the beam, forcing Kodachi to turn with him and face in the same direction. Once they were only an arms length apart, he smiled and said, "Okay, don't do nothing, just let me do the work here."

Kodachi was about to ask what he was up to when Ranma vaulted up from a standing position and sailed cleanly over Kodachi's head while releasing her left hand, only to land on her opposite side as he grabbed her right hand, still facing in the same direction.

"See?" Ranma smiled, "This stuff ain't so hard if you practice enough, and I'll bet you could even be almost as good as me some day."

Kodachi was thrilled, but also more than a little vexed at being shown up once again by her cocky house guest. That Ranma was obviously a talented young student of the martial arts was confirmed beyond doubt in Kodachi's mind, and yet she both resented and admired him for his agility and daring.

"Could you..." she hesitated, but after a long, tense moment of thinking about the implications she finally concluded her statement as a question, "...Could you teach me how to do that?"

"No problem," Ranma grinned her way, "It's not hard at all, you just gotta work on your reflexes. You've got plenty of talent, as Pop likes to say, ya just need to work on bringing it out."

"You make it sound so...uncomplicated," Kodachi said brightly.

"No more complicated than standing on your head," Ranma grinned at her with a wink that caused her to laugh at his clown-like behavior.

Unknown to the two children, who were starting to have a good time together, Hitome was watching it all from the shadows of the entrance, feeling the intensity of her resentment as it began to burn into a blazing inferno...

"So..." Godai smiled across the table at his companion, "What do you think of my proposal, Saotome? You could stay with us for a while and train my children the way you have your boy. I think both Tachi and 'Dachi-chan could profit to learn from your son's excellent example."

"Hmm," Genma seemed to be seriously thinking it over, "I don't know, Godai-  
kun...I've been training my boy on the road for a couple of years now, and it is the best way for him to become the Man among Men that I promised his mother he would be."

"I understand that," Godai nodded approvingly, "And I wasn't saying you should make your stay with us a permanent one, but you could stay here and accomplish a lot in, say, a few months time. I can make it worth your while, and you wouldn't have to worry about food and shelter. Your boy can even attend classes with my children at an exclusive school, the best that money can afford."

Genma stroked his chin, though the mention of food brought a gleam to his eyes that the other man could hardly have missed. What Godai was promising sounded like an easy life, and after two years of living like a mendicant he was ready for such a transition. It was hard taking care of both himself and Ranma, the boy eating twice as much as a healthy lad his age would, which was still only a fraction of the daily caloric intake of his father. It was an enormously tempting offer, and it prompted him to ask, "How much compensation are we talking about here?"

Godai quoted a figure and Genma nearly fainted. The senior Kuno tried to make light of his gesture by adding, "Of course that's only a flat salary for, say, six months of training. If you'd rather be paid on a weekly or monthly basis I could break it down into an hourly wage figure..."

"Ah, no, that's quite...sufficient," Genma swallowed, the Yen signs all but dancing before his eyes.

Six months of living in luxury with the Kunos...he tried to think of what the down side would be but could not. After all, his old friends had made well for themselves, and they seemed generous enough to be willing to offer even a tiny portion of their wealth in exchange for a few lessons. What would the harm be in staying for that length of time, he wondered, thinking he could easily return to life on the open road a much wealthier man better able to provide for his son, and the free food did a lot to sweeten the package.

After all, what sort of father would he be to turn this down? He was only thinking of the boy, of course, and the prospect of a full belly with three square meals prepared to the excellent standards of their breakfast did not seem to be that great a burden. He smiled at Godai and the two men shook hands in their agreement. Six months would pass quickly, Genma was assured, and afterwards...well...maybe Godai-kun would consider an extension, or be open to negotiations...

Two weeks had past and a routine had begun with Genma waking the children up every morning to start their day doing warm-up exercises and practice katas while Hitome looked on and admired the way Genma was managing the children. Tatewaki and Kodachi looked up to their "Uncle Genma," for he was stern but fair in lavishing both praise and criticism, using Ranma as both an example and a foil to motivate his other students into doing their best, and then exceeding their best efforts.

Hitome still trained with Kodachi to insure she did not lost her edge in gymnastics, but to Hitome's surprise and dismay her daughter began to pick up new techniques and display even more surprising skill, speed and dexterity as she not only grasped the fundamental basics of Hitome's more advanced maneuvers but began to invent new ones. On the one hand Hitome was pleased to see her daughter making such phenomenal progress, but on the other hand it made her feel as though her training methods were vastly inferior to those of Saotome Genma. Her admiration for the man warred with smoldering resentment at the implied slight to her abilities as a parent, adding to her growing rage, which she kept deep inside rather than let out for all to notice.

Hitome no longer had to threaten Kodachi with punishment for the girl to work extra hard at self-improvement. Already Kodachi was showing signs of being far better than her mother ever was at either form of gymnastics: Olympic and Combat oriented. She would be a promising star before she reached puberty and the Olympic world would tremble before her prowess, which was all that Hitome had ever dreamed of for her daughter. The only sour note was that Hitome felt less responsible for Kodachi's progress than Genma, with her role being reduced to a mere assistant coach, which stung her pride very deeply.

Moreover, Kodachi was demonstrating a growing fondness for the son of Nodoka, a thing that Hitome found more objectionable even than losing her status as a parent. Ranma was obviously enjoying the free time where he and Kodachi would play games like "tag" together, performing dangerous feats of athletic prowess as they chased each other around the house, frightening Sasuke, who had the unenviable task of supervising their free time. Ranma was also providing a perfect sparring partner for Tatewaki, who seemed to thrive on trying to improve himself so that he could finally defeat Ranma in combat, and when using a bokken proved insufficient, Tatewaki consented to be taught unarmed martial arts by Genma.

In two weeks time the children had all done very well indeed, though Ranma remained superior in every way to either of Hitome's children, a fact that was now at the core of her whole world of angry resentment. At last she could endure it no more and so requested to spend time alone with the boy, intending to rid herself of this constant reminder of her inadequacies, and of the mistake she had made in choosing Godai for a husband.

Her husband was rarely home these days, barely spend any time with Hitome, using what free time he had to indulge in drinking bouts with Genma, whose capacity for liquor was truly to be remarked upon. Hitome waited until both men were roaring drunk and about to pass out before excusing herself to check on the children upstairs. She didn't bother to add that she knew that Ranma would not be in his room at that hour, having studied the boy's habits enough to know that he preferred the roof on cloudless nights as it allowed him to gaze at the stars in solitary reflection.

Hitome's eyes gleamed like a hungry predator as she crept out into the night, surprising the boy only when a roof tile creaked, betraying her presence. Hitome was not alarmed though, having already rehearsed in her mind what she would say to defray his suspicions, careful not to give away the fact that she carried a knife in concealment on her person.

"It's just me, Ranma-kun," she said, walking slowly up alongside him as the boy settled down to resume his study of the moonlight.

"Oh, Auntie Kuno," he smiled, "Sorry, I didn't know it was you. I thought for a minute there..."

When he paused, Hitome chose to sat down beside him, patiently biding her time until the moment was right. In a deceptively calm voice she asked, "You thought for a moment...what?"

"Ah, it's nothing," Ranma gazed off into the shadows, "It's just...ever since I was little I've had this...feeling that there was something out there, an Oni or something like that."

"An...Oni?" Hitome's eyebrows climbed by a fraction, though it was too dark for the boy to see this particular detail.

"Yeah, Pop tells me I'm just imaginin' stuff," Ranma huffed, "There's no such things as Onis, right? That's just a buncha hogwash, like I keep tellin' Tachi."

"Has Tachi seen an Oni?" Hitome asked with genuine curiosity.

"Naw, but he talks a lot about fightin' monsters'n demons," Ranma said, "Thinks he wants ta be a Knight in shining armor more than a Samurai. I keep tellin' him there's no such stuff as dragons..."

"I've seen a dragon...once," Hitome revealed very softly, "And I fought against an Oni."

"Huh?" Ranma blinked his eyes and looked at her shadowy outline, "You have?"

"Oh yes," Hitome revealed, "Her name was Atsuko, and she...was a friend of your father's. This was well before you were born, of course, but she was a lot of trouble, as I remember anyway."

"You knew an Oni?" Ranma gasped, his boyish enthusiasm replacing his earlier skepticism.

"Her father s half-Oni," Hitome revealed, "Her mother was a demon sorceress, and she had fangs, a tail and a pair of bat-wings. Her skin was very red and she was as strong as any monster, but also very tricky. She could cast illusions that were so real that you would never know they were illusions. Eventually your father made her go away, but I've always wondered if she is still out there, watching, biding her time until maybe she could strike at us again, the ones she hated, who stood between her and your father."

"Wow," Ranma glanced off into the darkness, then unconsciously moved back a bit as if suspecting the shadows would have eyes gleaming in hunger.

Hitome smiled, reaching for her hidden tanto. The boy was not on his guard against her and was now distracted by her story. It would be quick and he would suffer much less than any child of Nodoka might deserve, and then she could shove the body off the roof and make it look like an accident. With a little help, and a bribe to the coroner, it could be made to seem as if the boy had slipped and fallen by himself with no one noticing the dagger cut to the carotid artery as she was skilled enough to make it seem as if created by something other than a razor-sharp object.

"Mother?" Kodachi's voice intruded into the darkness, startling Hitome so that she almost lost her grip upon the tanto.

Kodachi had not been sleeping very well that night, and she knew that Ranma liked to spend time in the dark staring at the stars by himself, so she had decided to follow his example, though she preferred a location that was far enough from his that he might not see her. She had seen her mother walk out onto the roof, overheard her story and started to relax a little when she saw the gleam of moonlight reflect the blade of the Tanto. She had gasped out the word without thinking, thereby catching both Ranma and mer mother by surprise, though Kodachi knew in an instant that her mother was not out here to enjoy any nocturnal bonding.

"Dachi-chan?" Ranma asked, "What are you doing out...?"

Hitome's mind suddenly snapped, fear of discovery being replaced by her outrage at hearing the affectionate tone Nodoka's child was directing towards her daughter. In a flash she whipped out the Tanto to stab at Ranma, but the boy reacted much more instinctively than she would have imagined and darted back out of the way, rolling to his feet in a flash before turning to confront her with a look of confusion and horror.

"Mother-don't!" Kodachi cried, suddenly on her feet as she saw her mother rise to menace her Ranma.

"Stay out of this, Kodachi," Hitome's voice was unnaturally calm, but way she held the knife was clearly a demonstration of her intentions to use it, "He has to die! He is Nodoka's!"

"What...what have you got against my mother?" Ranma asked, wondering if an Oni had somehow impersonated or possessed the wife of his uncle Godai.

Hitome did not answer, but instead she charged at Ranma, ignoring the pain in her knees that had robbed her of Olympic glory, forcing Ranma to dart away from her rather than risk being slashed as he recognized that Hitome's knife-style was professionally polished.

But Hitome's forward lunge was interrupted by Kodachi, who launched herself in a tackle at her mother, striking at her legs since she knew this was her chief weak point. Both Hitome and Kodachi staggered forward, not seeing the skylight until they were almost on top of it. Ranma saw, however, and cried out a warning, too late to prevent them falling through, but not too late to make a desperate grab for Kodachi.

The skylight, as it turned out, was located directly over the gymnasium, so though the fall was high it was easy for Hitome to break her momentum by grabbing hold of a steel rafter, swinging herself into a lateral direction by which she could aim for one of the ropes, snagging it with the skill of her younger days, not even losing her grip on the Tanto in passing.

Ranma had also managed break his fall, one hand on Kodachi's wrist as he used his legs to kick against a beam so that they both could go tumbling into the trampoline that was off to one side and thirty feet below them. Kodachi was shaken, but Ranma helped her to recover as they made it to the floor in the darkened room. Unfortunately they were not alone there, for a figure came hurtling towards them in the dark, forcing the two children to part company as Hitome slashed blindly in the direction of Ranma.

"I'll kill you, I'll kill you!" Hitome cried as she hit the floor with both feet, ignoring the pain that shot up through her legs as she saw the terrified look Ranma gave her in that moment. In a flash she was on top of him, bearing down with her superior weight as she brought the Tanto to within several inches of his face, only to have her arm be grabbed by Kodachi, who used all the childish strength within her body to try and deflect her mother's efforts.

"Mother-stop!" Kodachi pleaded, tears rolling down her eyes as fear for her playmate overcame her terror of her mother.

"Obey me!" Hitome snarled, changing the direction of her arm to shake off Kodachi in what she meant to be a slap, forgetting the sharp object in her hand as it slashed Kodachi across the cheek, cutting her deeply. Hitome did not hear Kodachi's startled cry of pain as she brought the knife up again and cried, "SHI NEI!"

"Mistress?" a voice called out from the shadows, and suddenly Sasuke was there, but too far away to offer any assistance.

Ranma managed to turn his head at the last instant so that the knife merely cut his earlobe by a light graze, but it left his neck exposed as Hitome brought the knife back with the intent of aiming another blow at a vital center. Before the blow could land, however, something connected against the back of her head and she lost her grip on the Tanto, collapsing on top of Ranma as consciousness momentarily fled her.

Ranma grunted as he fought to free himself from his attacker, only to find Sasuke and another offering him assistance, that other being none other than young Tatewaki Kuno. The older boy had a look on his face that seemed even more frightened than Ranma's, and the bokken in his hand was not his usual practice sword but the heavier version that was meant to resemble a katana.

"Sister?" Tatewaki turned away from Ranma as he heard Kodachi sobbing in the darkness.

"Kodachi," Ranma scrambled to his feet and joined Tatewaki in offering consolation to the young girl, who had a hand pressed to her cheek and was bleeding quite profusely.

"Sasuke!" Tatewaki snapped, "Call a doctor, Dachi needs medical attention!"

"Yes Master," Sasuke hesitated, glancing down at Hitome, "But...what of the Mistress?"

"Bind her wrists, but be gentle," Tatewaki gulped, his efforts at being brave beginning to falter as the realization finally sunk in that he had done violence against his own mother.

"Wake up Pop and Uncle Kuno," Ranma urged, "If they ain't too drunk to be of any use here!."

"As you wish it, young Masters," Sasuke responded, himself too numb with the shock of what had just occurred to react in anything less than a mechanical manner, being certain that he made Hitome's bonds as strong as he could lest he face her wrath when she recovered...

Hours later a much-sobered Godai and Genma sat together in the waiting room nursing hot cups of tea and a mutual sense of uneasy depression. The shock had not gone away of the discovery of Hitome's insane behavior, and it left both men feeling horrified with mutual guilt and disbelief at the revelation.

"Genma-kun," Godai softly murmured after a long silence, "What have I done? What have I done to deserve this? Why did Hitome seek your son's life? Why? It makes no sense! It just does not make any sense..."

"I don't know, Godai-kun," Genma admitted, "I never saw it coming either. I thought...Hitome-san was over this sort of thing. We both know what she was like in the old days..."

"True," Godai said, "But...I had hoped...but with her injuries, the loss of her dreams...I had thought motherhood would give her life a purpose. I was wrong...so very wrong...and now my poor Tachi, Kodachi..." he shook his head in disbelief, unable to fully grasp what had happened.

"At least the doctors were able to stitch the wound closed," Genma noted in a low, numb tone of voice, "She didn't suffer too much blood loss, and she should recover soon enough..."

"But her looks, Saotome...her beauty..." Godai's voice faltered.

"Easy, Godai-kun," Genma said softly, as he might to a child, "I understand that they can work miracles with plastic surgery these days, so they might be able to repair her face so that no one will ever see the scar. I know the burden this may place upon her, but she is a strong young lady, a warrior who can overcome anything..."

"It was your son who saved her," Godai looked down, "His quick wits in summoning help have given Kodachi a chance for restoring her beauty. I am forever in your debt, Saotome, as much as I can never be rid the dishonor of my wife's actions."

"Forget about it, Godai-kun," Genma replied, "Ranma's a strong boy, just like I raised him. It's not your fault Hitome was having problems, these things just happen and we never see them..."

"But they never happen to me," Godai lifted his eyes and looked directly at Genma, "I've been a fool thinking that wealth and property could buy my family happiness. I've been neglecting her, and I've been an unworthy husband. I don't know if I can change my ways, if it's not too late to change, but somehow...I will make it better. I swear this!"

Genma was not certainly he liked the way his friend had stated this and tried to mollify things by saying, "Let's just take it one day at a time, Godai-kun. Hitome needs medical attention even more than Kodachi, and your son needs to come to terms with what he did to save my son's life. From where I sit we're even, so there's no reason to make any life-altering decisions..."

"But I have made a decision," Godai said, "And when the time is right you will know my judgement."

Genma looked into the face of his friend, seeing the quiet determination there, and he realized that to say anything more at that point would dishonor Godai beyond recall, so he kept his own silent council, but inwardly worried as he knew this decision would have a direct impact upon his own son's future...

Another week had passed and Genma was starting to worry. He'd done everything he knew how to do to offer consolation to the children, believing that training would be the best way to help them get past the institutionalization of their mother. Kodachi wore the bandage over her cheek that covered the shame of her injury, while Tatewaki carried his own wounds deep inside him, becoming withdrawn and morose as he focused upon training, while spending much of his free time reading books from his father's literary collection. Ranma was much the same as always and did what he did best in these situations, which was to live for the moment, teasing both Kunos in an attempt to draw them out from their shells and achieving moderate success with Kodachi, who began to smile once again after several days of intense effort.

Kodachi not only recovered from her injury but was improving herself in Combat Gymnastics by combining elements of the Saotome Ryu as fast as Genma could teach her. The older man was amazed at the girl's ability to soak in knowledge and incorporate it into her own distinctive style as she bloomed like one of the black roses that Godai was growing in his garden. Her interests in plant pharmacology was similarly drawing her away in her spare time so that Ranma would often be left to himself, wandering the halls of the Kuno mansion looking for something to do to relieve his boredom. He seemed to come the most alive when spending time around Kodachi.

Finally, the second week after the incident with Hitome, Godai summoned Genma and his son and in a formal ceremony revealed what he had decided upon the night of the attach. The children sat nervously studying the passive face of the older Kuno, who had shaved his head bald overnight and was now wearing the robe of a Buddhist priest, while Sasuke sat to one side in the place of an ancient Samurai retainer.

"My son," Godai addressed Tatewaki first, "You are to be a man who will inherit the fortune that I will leave to you, but Japanese Law will take much of our property away unless I make it a dowry for whatever woman you will marry. I have decided to divide our property evenly between you and Kodachi, who will also have a dowry that I give freely to the man who will be her husband."

"Father," Tatewaki said, "What's wrong? You're not ill in any way, why speak at all of our inheritance?"

"My son," Godai said, "You are wrong, I am sick, deeply so, and I find the only way to heal myself is to remove my soul and body from the source of my illness. I am renouncing the ownership of property and entering a Buddhist temple as a novice so that I may pray for the swift recovery of your mother. I will leave everything that I can to the both of you, but as gifts that will be yours when you marry. The rest will be left in a trust fund to be supervised by men whom I have chosen to manage this estate. You will both continue to live here and have your every need seen to, and Sasuke will insure that you do not suffer in my absence. However, I do not leave you totally without support as Saotome here will remain as your teacher. He will give you the counseling and guidance that I have failed to provide you..."

"Godai-kun," Genma said in dismay, "What you ask is impossible! I cannot bind myself here on a permanent basis...it would impede the boy's training."

"So?" Godai asked, "You can take my children with you when you train. I will make certain that they have an allowance that will ensure that they never go hungry. You don't have to live like a peasant anymore, Genma-kun, and it's the least that I can do to redeem the shame against my honor."

"But...father..." Kodachi asked, "Why must you leave us? What can you find at a temple that you cannot find here?"

"Salvation," Godai said simply, then turned to regard Ranma and asked, "What do you think of our young Saotome, daughter? Are you fond of him as a playmate and a companion?"

Kodachi could not help blushing like a different kind of rose while Ranma was confused by it all. After a few seconds Kodachi replied, "Yes, father...I enjoy being with Ranma very much..."

"And you, young Master," Godai said, "What do you think of my daughter?"

"Kodachi?" Ranma was even more confused as he saw the girl turned almost-violet eyes in his direction and look at him with adoration. For some reason he was vaguely reminded of Ukyo, though why Kodachi would remind him of a boy was something his young mind could not make sense of.

"Ah..." he shrugged, "She's all right, and she's gettin' better on the parallel bars. She's gonna be great in a little while..."

"Then it is decided," Godai turned to Genma, "You and I will discuss the details when we are alone, but I expect that you will agree to my terms in exchange for half of my inheritance."

"In exchange...?" now Genma definitely had an idea of where this was headed, having been at this sort of bargaining place before, and with no doubt at all as to the outcome...

Genma knew that he was a weak man, that he lacked in courage and intelligence the sort of qualities that he sought to instill upon Ranma. He even, on rare moments, confessed in the privacy of his heart that he was a bit of a coward with very poor negotiating sense and was prone to rash moments of poor judgement. All of this had been brought home to him time and again during his years serving The Master.

But now he was being asked to do something that in his heart of hearts he knew he could not do. Godai had been most generous in laying out his terms, and Genma had been unable to refuse the offer, and as a consequence Ranma's fate had been sealed once again. He was now officially Kodachi's iinazuke, just like with Ukyo before then, and many other young girls scattered through the length of the Japanese main Islands.

But Genma could not allow it to be so, much though he yearned to sit back and enjoy the fruits that Godai had offered. Training the Kuno children to become better martial artists he could handle, even coaching them past their grief to provide a good role model of what it meant to be a superior martial artist, but not to make it a permanent affair. That he could not do to either himself or to Ranma. His son had to learn the hard lessons of the road, just as Genma had learned from the Master, and there was the sacred promise made to the Tendos that came before all other considerations...

Genma stared at the ceiling over his head, torn up inside at the sacrifice that he was making. To live in wealth and comfort was all that he had ever dreamed about, (beyond beating the living tar out of the Master) and to have it all within his grasp but to turn his back on it...it was more than he could stomach.

But he had to do it, and soon, after Godai-kun had finished making his arrangements. Genma had already prepared the note that he would leave behind when he took Ranma with him in the dead of night. The boy would adjust to losing his new play mates, just as Genma felt certain that the Kuno children would get along without his teaching, having already made excellent progress. Genma regretted that he had to depart like a thief in the night, but he doubted it would be any easier by the light of day, and to stay any longer would become such a strong temptation that he might never escape from the good life. He had to leave now while he still could manage the willpower.

"Ranma, my boy," Genma thought in the privacy of his heart, "Has any father loved his son more than I who must sacrifice everything for you, to make you the Man among Men that I promised your mother?"

That being said, Genma waited until Ranma had fallen asleep before pressing the nerves that would keep him unconscious for several hours, then he gathered up his things, and the money he had acquired honestly and fairly (or so he insisted) from Godai and made his escape, so silent that even Sasuke never saw him passing. In a few hours they would awake and find him gone while Ranma would resume his interrupted training under the loving care of his self-  
sacrificing father...

"Master," Sasuke looked up at Godai with the note still in his hand, "What does this mean? Why would he do this?"

"It's my fault," Godai reasoned, "I asked too much of him, and he has given me his answer. I should have expected no less from a true disciple of the Art, but once again I was blinded by my own desires, one of many sins that I must purge myself of in the temple."

"Should we hire a private detective to hunt him down?" Tatewaki asked, his anger at the betrayal of a teacher being so great that it made him shake with outrage.

"No need, my son," Godai replied, "Genma will find that he does not escape so easily from our pledge together. One day he will return to our lives, and his son with him, and then the promise that he made to me will be fulfilled. I swear this to you, Kodachi, you will one day have your Ranma."

"Father," Kodachi said morosely, wondering why her playmate would have abandoned her without a word in passing. Was everything that had gone between them a lie? Did he spurn her now that she had a mark upon her beauty?

Kodachi vowed that she would train herself, to become the best that she could be, to one day face Ranma down in challenge and determine the answer. Either he would give her satisfaction one way...or pay for it in another. Either way the Black Rose would indeed have her answer...

Eight Years Later.

"Saotome?" Kuno Tatewaki said in disbelief, "Saotome Ranma? It is you...after all this time?"

"Eh?" Ranma regarded the boy wearing the Samurai gear and wondered why he seemed so familiar, "Do you know me, friend?"

"I am no friend of yours, nor shall I ever be!" Tatewaki cried as he lifted his bokken, "Prepare to taste the fury of my vengeance for the humiliation that you visited upon my family and sister?"

"Huh?" Ranma blinked his eyes while Tendo Akane looked from him to Kuno, then Ranma gasped, "Tachi?"

"You two know each other?" Akane asked in disbelief, her unwanted iinazuke and best friend facing off like mortal enemies in some Samurai-based movie.

"Sure," a slow smile crept upon Ranma's handsome features, "Kuno Tatewaki! How's it going? It's been years..."

"Don't patronize me, Saotome!" Tatewaki cried, rushing forward, "Prepare to taste my wrath at dishonoring my sister!"

Kuno made a mighty strike that passed through the space where Ranma had been standing, leaving a shock wave that went right through the wall behind Ranma, shattering brick and mortar as though they were cardboard and plaster props from a movie.

Much to Kuno's surprise Ranma was standing right behind him, ready to block the next strike as he effortlessly parted Tatewaki from his weapon.

"Mind running that one by me again, Kuno-san," Ranma asked as he twirled the bokken between his fingers, "The part about me dishonoring your sister?"

"Cretin!" Tatewaki made a fist and attacked Ranma, who flowed around the strike as if it had been telegraphed by express mail.

"Whoah," Ranma said, "Good roundhouse you got there, Tachi, but you need to work a little on your speed. You're almost as slow as you were in the old days."

"What is going on here?" Akane demanded, "Why are you two fighting?"

"Stay out of this, Akane-chan," Kuno said forcefully, "This is between me and Saotome! I will have my revenge for you did to Kodachi..."

"I never did nothing to Kodachi," Ranma frowned, "What's this all about Kuno-  
san? It's been eight years, but I thought we were still friends."

"Friends!" Tatewaki cried, rearing back for a blow that carried more than just physical power, and might have done real damage had it connected with Ranma instead of the tree behind him. As it was the shock-wave of the punch alone gouged a deep pit in the bark, which much surprised Ranma.

"Wow, how did you do that?" he asked, nodding, "You have done some improvement. Now, about Kodachi..."

Tatewaki struck again, but this time Ranma did not dodge but blocked the strike and stepped into Tatewaki's guard to deliver a stinging back-fist punch that put Kuno temporarily out of commission.

"Kuno-san!" Akane cried.

"You will address me as...Sempai..." Tatewaki groaned before losing consciousness.

Akane elbowed her way past Ranma and knelt down to examine the older boy, seeing the bruise to his chin that would take some time healing. Ranma frowned as he saw the care which she lavished upon Tatewaki, which same she had not displayed to any of the two-score boys that had attacker her in the beginning. It began to dawn on him that Kuno Tatewaki was the sole exception his iinazuke made to her general disdain for the male of the species.

"You two are buddies, huh?" he asked, making light of the subject.

"He's my friend!" Akane glared hatefully up at Ranma, "Why did you have to knock him out?"

"Didn't seem like he was going to be reasonable about answering my question,"  
Ranma said, "And it's not like I wanted to hit him. After all, he saved my life once."

"He did?" Akane blinked.

"Yeah, I thought we were buddies," Ranma frowned, "I'll bet even money Pop had something to do with this. Somehow the Old Man's always screwing around with my life, getting me into trouble for the crimes he commits."

"I wouldn't take that bet for anything, Saotome," said Tendo Nabiki, who seemed to manifest at his side with her usual sly look of a shark sensing dinner, "So...what's this about you and Kuno-chan being former friends and now best enemies?"

"I don't know," Ranma said, "But he said it involved his sister, Kodachi. You know where I can find her, Nabiki-san?"

"I might," the middle Tendo girl smiled, "For a price."

Ranma heaved a sigh and said, "How about I owe you a favor? I don't got much money...Pop never could manage to keep hold on anything we'd earn."

"Perhaps you should consider trading him in for a better role model," Nabiki said, "But I'll take that marker. She's enrolled at a private school, Saint Hebereke, which is several kilometers away from here at the other end of town. I can sell you a map if you're willing to up that marker."

Ranma rolled his eyes, realizing that life with the Tendos was bound to be a very expensive prospect, especially if he hung around with Nabiki. Things could be worse, though, if she'd been the one they decided to engage him to. Just once he wanted to meet a woman who could appreciate him for himself and not look at him as a source of opportunity. Nonetheless he decided to skip classes for the day, not wanting to be around with Tatewaki regained consciousness, at least until he had found out why his former friend regarded him as a betrayer...

Kuno Kodachi was not pleased and made her displeasure well known to the members of her Gymnastics team. She tried to be stern but fair to them, but there were limits to what she would tolerate, and slackening in training for the big match with Kolhotz at the end of the week was not even close to acceptable in her judgement.

"Try it again, Nanami!" she scolded in a low tone that most people who knew Kodachi dreaded hearing, "You're supposed to be fighting with Maya, not choreographing a dance together!"

"But it's too hard!" Nanami complained, "And we're tired, 'Dachi! Can't we take a break We've been at this for two hours!"

"Two hours," Kodachi scoffed, "Exercise period lasts for three hours on this team. That's the length of time that I am permitted to force you clods into behaving like Gymnasts, but obviously that is not what you are. You are like selfish, whining children who never can do anything without holding the hands of your mothers!"

"That's not fair!" Nanami winced, stung by the barbed attack of their slave-  
driving team captain.

"Fair?" Kodachi mocked the word, then casually ran the tip of her finger across the slight discoloration that marked where a faint scar had been for many years, marking the otherwise perfect profile of her right cheek, "Do not talk to me about fairness. Life is not fair, it is often cruel and bitter to those of you who expect it to be otherwise. Do not mistake fairness for even-handedness, Nanami. You train to represent our school, and I had thought you more than passing good, but now I learn that you are like a child who wants everything to be fair. Well, I am sorry, but if I petitioned the Bright Lady she might perhaps consider making everything fair in your match against Shiratori of Kolhotz!"

Nanami's expression darkened and in a low tone she growled, "I'm not afraid of Shiratori! That little creep still owes me for the Ice Skating match, and there's no way I'll lose to her...ever!"

"Do my ears deceive me," Kodachi smiled, "Or does that sound like a Warrior talking? Is this the real you, Nanami, or am I wasting my time here?"

Nanami's eyes blazed with a glare and she turned back to face her opponent. Maya suddenly gulped as she held her ribbon at the ready, thinking to herself that it was very likely that she was in for a severe beating.

"Man, you're tough," a voice commented from just over Kodachi's head, causing her to shoot her gaze upward and see the figure dangling by a climbing rope above her head, a petite looking redhead.

"Who are you?" she demanded, "This is a closed training session!"

"Me?" the redhead asked as she alighted on the wooden floor, "I'm nobody special. I just came over to see how you trained, Kuno-san. The name's Saotome Ranma."

"Saotome...Ranma?" Kodachi said in disbelief.

"Yeah," the redhead looked up at Kodachi with a strangely cocky expression, "I hear tell there's a guy by that name that you've got a thing against. Kuno Tatewaki-he's your brother, I suppose-said you were dishonored, or something, and I got curious, so I thought I'd come find out what the deal is about that."

"You...are Saotome Ranma?" Kodachi tried to grasp the concept.

"Yeah," the redhead shrugged, "It's a common enough name. You got a problem with that?"

Kodachi's eyes narrowed, "No, but I do with you. You are not a student in my class..."

"Bingo," Ranma replied, "What was your first clue?"

Kodachi noticed something else about the stranger and said, "You are also dripping wet."

Ranma looked down at herself in disgust and said, "Yeah, well...it rained on the way here, so go figure. Sorry if I'm messing up your floor, but I want to know what the deal is with you and this guy, the other Ranma?"

"The deal, as you so put it?" Kodachi suddenly produced her own ribbon and began twirling it, "Is that I don't like interlopers interrupting my training regimen..."

She snapped the ribbon, but quick as a blur Ranma caught it, surprising Kodachi as few people could even see the ribbon when it moved, let alone intercept it.

"Touched a nerve, huh?" Ranma asked, "Whatever this guy did must be pretty bad, huh?"

"You...are formidable," Kodachi withdrew the ribbon and studied the redhead, "Perhaps you might care to indulge me in a little match to test how formidable you are."

"If you like," Ranma shrugged, "But if I win, how about you promise to tell me what you've got against the other Ranma."

"And what will you offer in return should you lose?" Kodachi asked.

"Lose?" the redhead cocked both eyebrows, "I never lose, so why even bother?"

"You are arrogant and boastful," Kodachi mused, "Perhaps this will be interesting after all. Have you ever competed in Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics?"

"No," Ranma replied, "I studied it, but I never formally competed."

"Interesting," Kodachi smiled, "Then why don't I pose you this challenge: should you lose, you will tell me why you are so interested in my quarrel with Saotome Ranma."

"Fair enough," Ranma said, "But I may tell you that any way after I win, if you tell me about the problem."

"Good enough," Kodachi nodded, feeling a strange sensation passing through her as she prepared herself for the challenge. There was something indeed formidable about the cocky redhead, and something familiar as well, giving her a warm sensation that she had not felt in some time as she silently prayed that the redhead would prove to be everything that she hoped for...

Continued.

Comments/Criticism/Continuum Glitches: shadowmane

I began this series some time ago in exploration of the question of whether or not it would ever be possible for Ranma to choose Kodachi as his iinazuke. This chapter merely set up the premise, in the next chapter I more fully explore how the changes made to this timeline have cause a rippling affect that will be felt by the other major players of the Ranma universe. Let me know what you think of this exercise, and feel free to guess why Akane is being so nice to Kuno, or how this will affect Ranma's relationships with Ukyo and Shampoo.

Later!

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If you wish to check out my other works, Please check out my Fanfiction webpage at: . or it's mirror site at: ~ All related chapters of this series can be found there along with my other works.  



	2. Chapter 2

KodachiW2

Knights and Warriors

By Jim Robert Bader

(Inspired by the works of Rumiko Takahashi and Gregg Sharp's "The Bet" series)

Akane put the cold compress to Tatewaki's forehead, concerned that the older boy had not yet regained consciousness. Kuno's injuries were largely superficial, and Ranma had not really struck him that hard, but for the last hour the Kendo Master of Furinkan High had been tossing and turning in his sleep, moaning something about his mother, which left Akane greatly concerned that his injuries might be less external than internal.

She had known Kuno for four years, since they met almost by accident when Akane had gotten into a fight with a group of older boys and had been badly outnumbered. Her skills even then were quite formidable, but there were eight members of this gang and any one of them outweighed her by more than forty kilograms. Those were long odds even for her, but she was determined to make the best show of it even if they did eventually overwhelm her.

But mid-way into the fight a thirteen year-old Tatewaki had jumped into the fray and laid out three of the bullies before the rest even knew he was present. The leader had demanded to know by what right Kuno dared interfere in their business, to which Tatewaki smoothly answered by drawing his bokken and declaring that such base cretins who dared attack with such an unfair advantage were not entitled to any other answer. He then laid out the gang leader, forcing the others to scatter in fear of his prowess.

Just Like that the fight was over, Akane having accounted for only two of the bullies that had been felled, but rather than express gratitude for Kuno's coming to her assistance she instead angrily declared that she not need his help and that she would rather have handled things without his interference.

To her surprise Kuno had responded, "You are quite right, I did interfere, and no doubt you would have acquitted yourself well against these rank amateurs, but I could not idly stand by and do nothing while they sought to take you by force of numbers. To do otherwise would have shamed my honor and left me unworthy to call myself a Samurai. Please forgive if I have given you any slight in this, for I can see that you are quite skilled and would make a worthy challenge to any opponent who sought to test your mettle fairly."

That had quite an effect of calming Akane down, for the boy had acknowledged that she was a competent fighter. She had to grudgingly concede that he was pretty good himself, to which Tatewaki had merely smiled and replied, "Not yet I am not...but one day I hope to be worthy of your praise."

He then had turned around and left her there, gaping with her mouth open.

The next time she saw the boy he was sitting alone by himself in middle school reading a book of poetry as if the young warrior were part scholar, and on impulse Akane decided to approach him. She normally had a very dim view of boys near to her own age, but there was something about the Kuno Tatewaki that seemed different, more sensitive and thoughtful than the other boys in their age group. Akane had gotten to talking with Kuno while sharing her bento lunch, to which he returned the favor by offering her some of the delicacies that had been packed away for him by someone whose cooking skills nearly approached those of Kasumi.

To her surprise this Kuno was a shy, private individual with an intensity about him that made it difficult to approach him. He was a good listener, though, and Akane soon found herself opening up to him on subjects that she had never discussed with anyone. To her further surprise Kuno then responded with pointed comments concerning the role mothers played in the raising of their offspring. There was great sadness about him as he recited more lines of poetry, which Akane did not fully understand at the time, but listening to his voice had made her feel a lot better.

Her surprise was compounded by learning that Kuno was a practitioner of a variation of the Anything Goes school, Martial Arks Kenjitsu, which was more than surprising as Akane had thought her family was the only one to practice the Anything Goes tradition. She convinced Tatewaki to give her a demonstration of his abilities through some light sparring with her after school hours, to which Kuno had called it a great honor that she considered his skills worthy of such a challenge. They sparred at Akane's dojo and Kuno had given her the best workout that she could even remember. Even her father had called the boy a worthy heir to the anything goes tradition.

Tatewaki had earned the praise of both of her sisters, Kasumi saying that he was very mature for his age while Nabiki teased Akane about dating a rich kid, to which Akane had blushed in embarrassment and denied that she and Kuno were "dating." Nevertheless, she had begun a friendship with the older boy that had given her an outlet for emotions other than anger as Kuno never said or did anything to deliberately upset her. To the contrary, he seemed to know instinctively just what to do or say to cheer her up and make her feel less isolated and lonely. He had even accompanied the family when they paid their respects to Akane's late mother, and standing at the grave she had seen the most peculiar look of sadness in his eyes, as if his own grief were somehow deeper than Akane's.

He never talked much about his family, though he had invited the Tendos to visit his family estate on more than one occasion. Akane had met Tatewaki's sister, who seemed to share much of his intensity and devotion to the martial arts. She got along well enough with Kodachi, but it was Nabiki who seemed to gravitate to the self-named Black Rose, and Akane had overheard them at one time discussing the subject of business, which Kodachi demonstrated a fairly knowledgeable grasp, earning the approval of Akane's mercenary sister. As Akane herself did not have such an interest in such things, she was more curious about Kodachi's own variation of the Anything Goes style, Martial Arts Rhythmic gymnastics. They had sparred, and to Akane's amazement, Kodachi had won easily, almost off-  
handedly defeating her with both armed and unarmed combat styles. Akane had resolved to take Gymnastics shortly after this with some private lessons with Kodachi to help polish her style and give her a better sense of balance and coordination.

Akane had studied hard and truly believed that she had improved vastly from her time with the Kunos, but just the previous day a new boy had entered her life and stripped away her confidence in her own prowess. Ranma had defeated her as a girl, then revealed her true gender, which infuriated Akane for reasons even she could not explain. He was more arrogant than Kodachi, a worse showoff and so full of himself that even the slight humility he had shown regarding his curse had rubbed Akane the wrong way. Tacked onto this was that stupid nonsense about their engagement and it all added up to a big load of trouble that Akane would quite happily have done without.

She did not like or trust this Saotome Ranma, and not just because he had surprised her in the bathroom (well, she reluctantly conceded, she had walked in on HIM...). His father seemed more like an opportunistic con-man than the devoted friend to her father that he pretended to be, while Ranma was an unpolished brick who seemed to have nothing else going for him besides his ability to fight. Compared to Kuno, Ranma was a backwoods country bumpkin who probably didn't even have an academic achievement to his name. All he seemed to do was insult her, and the fact that he was a much better fighter just made her want to scream at the injustice of it all.

Of course Akane had also become somewhat irritated with Tatewaki of late. Her friend had convinced a sizeable number of student athletes that attacking her was an acceptable means of winning a date. It all began with a fairly innocent comment on her part when she complained to Tatewaki that few boys her age would fight with her to give her the sort of challenge she needed to improve her combat skills, and Tatewaki had given her the most peculiar smile and asked if she wanted the boys to try and attack her every morning. Akane had not taken the comment seriously enough and replied that it would be better to be attacked than ignored by boys who seemed afraid of her for some reason, only the next day she had to wade through the open schoolyard as boys of every stripe had come at her with a challenge, declaring their devotion to her, all instigated by Tatewaki, who seemed to think it was a great joke to play on Akane.

Of course once the other boys had attacked and be defeated by her, Kuno himself would step up and issue a challenge. They would fight and he would press her defenses hard, giving her far more of a workout than the rest of the students put together. Akane usually won these matches, but by such a close margin that she wondered if Kuno really was seriously trying to beat her...

Just then Tatewaki stirred, causing Akane to lean forward and ask, "Are you okay, Kuno-Sempai?"

"Akane-san?" Tatewaki asked, feeling his head with one hand before attempting to sit upright, "Where is Saotome?"

Akane's face clouded as she replied, "Why don't you ask my sister? He wanted to know where Kodachi went to school, so she told him. He skipped class altogether and I think he headed out towards Saint Hebereke."

"The swine," Tatewaki leaned forward on the cot in the Nurses office and started breathing deeply to calm his nerves, "It would serve him right is my sister should be the one to mete out the punishment he deserves. I would have been too merciful on the wretch, but Kodachi can best avenge her own honor. I only pray that she leaves enough of him alive that I may satisfy myself upon his carcass."

"Why do you hate him so much, Kuno-Sempai?" Akane asked, not really all that surprised that her friend was this upset about the irritating Ranma.

Kuno glanced away and said, "It is personal, but you deserve to have a partial answer. Eight years ago Saotome and his father gave my family a grave insult, one that hurt Kodachi very deeply. It is long since time the stain to our family honor was avenged, alas that I proved inadequate to the task as Ranma's fighting skills seem to have improved greatly from what I remember."

"You fought with him before?" Akane asked.

"Fought and lost," Kuno looked down, "The shame of it is great within me, for I had deluded myself into believing that I had improved enough to at least be his equal."

"Ranma is pretty good," Akane sighed, "He beat me without half trying..."

Tatewaki shot her a startled glance, "You fought with the knave, Akane-san?"

"It was sparring," Akane replied, "His father is an old friend of my Dad's who showed up on our doorstep last night and introduced us to Ranma..."

Kuno's eyes suddenly gained such an intense focus that it almost frightened Akane, "He...is staying at your house? Under the same roof as you are?"

"Yeah," Akane wondered what was causing Tatewaki to look so scary all of a sudden, "They're our new houseguests, and the worst part of it is that my father went and engaged me to Ranma..."

"Engaged..." Kuno paled, "To you?"

"Yeah," Akane replied, "It's not like I want to have such an idiot for my iinazuke! He's rude, he's thoughtless, he eats like a pig...and the worst of it all is..."

All of a sudden Kuno was on his feet, fists clenched in rage as he stared off into space with a face that could put fear into an Oni, "SAOTOME...YOU CAD! How dare you claim Akane for yourself! I cannot forgive this further insult you have done me...!"

"Kuno-Sempai?" Akane looked up at her friend as if gazing on a complete stranger.

It took Kuno a full moment to regain control over himself, but at last the fires died down to smoldering embers and he lowered his head and said, "Forgive me, Akane-san...that was an unforgivable outburst. I have no right to claim a position as your champion to defend your honor, but this is like a repeat of the gross insult Saotome did to my sister when she was engaged to him..."

"WHAT?" Akane suddenly was very angry herself, "Engaged to him? Kodachi?"

"By the mutual consent of our fathers," Kuno nodded, "So...now do you see why I detest Saotome Ranma? As soon as the agreement was made to engage him to Kodachi, his father turned around and fled like a thief in the night, stealing what he could carry and leaving Kodachi heartbroken! And now on top of this I find out that he is a two-timing spawn of an impudent Oni!"

"Ranma...!" Akane balled her fists and cried, "I WILL NOT FORGIVE YOU!"

Even Kuno felt a tinge of dismay at the fires he saw blazing in the eyes of the younger girl, and for the first time in many years he started to feel a touch of pity for Saotome Ranma...

Ranma-chan stood ready at one corner of the practice arena, facing off with Kodachi, who was twirling a pink ribbon-streamer between her fingers, idly studying him as if trying to classify a new form of insect. The basic rules of this combat had been stressed as "no physical contact between opponents," an unnecessary reminder because Ranma remembered the same lecture from Kodachi many years ago and felt sufficiently versed in all the basics that the coming match almost seemed anti-climatic.

Kodachi wondered why this redheaded girl calling herself Saotome Ranma was causing her to feel such a thrill of excitement. There was something about the arrogant, cocky little tramp that appealed to her on a fundamental level and Kodachi hoped that she would prove to indeed have the skill to make an adequate challenger. It had been far too long since she had faced any opponent worthy of her mettle, and of late Kodachi had almost become bored with gymnastics, feeling that there had to be something more in life than constantly winning her matches.

"You are ready?" Kodachi asked.

"Sure, go ahead," Ranma-chan replied, as if the match were already a foregone conclusion.

Kodachi's violet eyes glittered in dangerous slits, like the eyes of a great cat sizing up its lunch, and then with a cocky smile of her own she began to weave a complex pattern in the air with her streamer. She saw surprise register in her opponent's eyes and decided to show the diminutive hussy what it meant to go against the Black Rose of Saint Hebereke.

Like a shot her ribbon snapped through the air, hissing like a viper at twice the speed of sound, only to cleanly miss Ranma-chan, who struck back with her own streamer, forcing Kodachi to move lest she be tagged on the first volley.

Kodachi altered the direction of her streamer and the two began a furious duel that resembled the clash of two sabers, parrying and thrusting while both girls danced around and sought to avoid offering a standing target. The air all but sizzled with the sound of frying bacon as both streamers clashed at a speed that defied normal detection. It almost seemed as if the two ribbons would catch fire at any moment, so intense was their interaction that the air seemed to ripple like heat rising off a desert.

Kodachi's fellow gymnasts all gaped with astonished expressions, seeing their Captain having to work harder than any of them had ever seen her work before in trying to nail the elusive Saotome. They were too stunned to offer comments, but had they done so there would have been much intense speculation about the redhead who was fighting their leader to a standstill. Any one of them would have fallen within seconds of the match beginning, and yet this new girl was testing Kodachi in a way that no one had ever been able to do, darting about so swiftly that she almost appeared to be part phantom.

Kodachi was smiling, her excitement building as she fought the redhead not only has it lived up to her expectations but exceeded them by a fair measure. No one had withstood her in this manner, not for at least a year, and even the opponents who had tested her in the past did not seem to possess a tenth as much prowess as the girl who was now before her. For the first time in ages she began to enjoy a genuine contest, feeling her pride swell within her breast as she set about with determination to humble this arrogant you who claimed the name of Saotome Ranma!

All at once Ranma-chan saw an opening, made a slight twist with her wrist and caused her streamer to change directions, inverting his momentum at a ninety-  
degree angle. It coiled back like a spring and locked itself around Kodachi's streamer, then with a quick flick backwards Ranma yanked both ribbons hard, catching Kodachi at a moment when her grip was slackened so that she lost her streamer as Ranma reeled them both back into her hand, catching the handle of Kodachi's streamer with her other hand while the Black Rose stood awkwardly staring at her now-empty fingers.

Ranma-chan smiled as she tossed both ribbons to the side, then said, "Your call, lady."

Kodachi stared at Ranma-chan with renewed respect, then her smile returned as her dark eyes glistened with amusement, and in a low voice she sensuously purred, "Very good...that is the first time anyone has ever tried and succeeded in disarming me. You are more than formidable, and I salute you as a worthy challenge."

"Does that mean you give up?" Ranma-chan asked.

"Hardly," Kodachi replied, extending one hand as she called to her second, "Ball!"

One of her teammates tossed a basketball-sized ball towards Kodachi, who batted it at Ranma-chan with great force, causing the girl to dodge to one side, only to have the ball collide with the ropes of the arena and bound back at an angle, the spin Kodachi having put upon it being perfect to send the thing hard against Ranma-chan's backside, catching the redheaded girl by surprise and staggering her slightly. Kodachi leaped high in the air and came down on the ropes at her end of the arena, then used these gain extra momentum as she catapulted herself high in the air, intercepting the ball at the height of its arc before slamming it hard back down towards Ranma-chan, who saw it coming barely in time to avoid it.

Kodachi caught the ball on its second rebound then alighted upon one of the arena posts before smiling Ranma's way, and casually passing the ball around behind her back at Ranma-chan, who this time was good and mad enough to decide she'd had enough of being used for target practice. She threw a punch forward and knocked the ball hard back at Kodachi, who leaped over it and caught it in mid-air before back-flipping into the arena, where she gave a double-hand toss right into Ranma-chan's face, knocking her onto her backside.

"Give up yet?" Kodachi smiled as she dribbled the ball against the arena tarp.

In response to that Ranma-chan launched a double-kick in Kodachi's direction, but the Black Rose nimbly avoided this while sternly chiding, "That isn't allowed in this sport, my dear! You cannot make contact with your opponent as you would in a regular martial arts match."

"Is that a fact?" Ranma-chan asked as she got back to her feet and brushed her thumb against her nose, her expression now more serious and determined.

Kodachi smiled, "I like your fighting spirit. You make a worthy opponent, but the match will still be mine!" and with that she launched another attack with her ball, only to see Ranma-chan's fist intercept it with such force that it was nearly shot back into her face as though it had been shot out of a cannon. Kodachi barely dodged in time, but then the ball struck the post behind her and came shooting back at a sharp angle, catching her squarely on the fanny and causing her to yelp as she was propelled abruptly forward.

Ranma-chan casually sidestepped his opponent as Kodachi went down face-first in the spot where the redhead had previously been standing. Ranma-chan wore a smug expression as she insincerely said, "Oops, sorry."

Kodachi pushed herself back into an upright position, her temper enflamed as she growled, "You'll pay for that indignity, Cow! Clubs!"

One of her team mates tossed a pair of bowling pins to Kodachi, who easily caught them, while another set was thrown at Ranma-chan, who plucked them into the air without quite knowing why they had been thrown in the first place.

"You have proven yourself formidable," Kodachi said gravely, "But here is where I humble you completely. ATTACK OF A THOUSAND CLUBS!"

Ranma-chan barely had time to blink her eyes when the clubs were thrust at her at a speed and ferocity that was almost blinding. She automatically countered by using her clubs to bat the other clubs away, but it was like exchanging blows with a machine-gun the way the clubs kept on coming at her, as though a thousand clubs really had manifested in Kodachi's hands, definitely more than the two that she had seen her holding at the beginning.

Ranma decided to play rough once more and deliberately angled his thrusts to knock some of the clubs out of Kodachi's hands when the girl over-extended her reach, and within a moment there were twenty of the bowling pins on the floor, while Kodachi stood holding none of them, even looking surprised at how easily her weapons had been taken from her.

"You...you defeated my attack," she said in amazement, "No one has ever done that before!"

"I ain't somebody," Ranma-chan smiled, "I'm Saotome Ranma, and no way am I gonna let myself get beat up by a girl..."

Kodachi frowned, "Explain yourself. You are a woman, why do you say that another girl won't defeat you? Is there some problem you have with fighting other women?"

"Let's just say I've got my reasons," Ranma-chan tossed the clubs to one side then said, "Got any more tricks?"

"As a matter of fact I have," Kodachi raised a hand and said, "Hoops!"

Ranma-chan was surprised when a pair of hula-hoops were tossed into the arena, but no sooner had they each snatched theirs then Kodachi was attacking with hers, whipping it forward as if it were a sword blade, forcing Ranma to parry her attacks. The hoops moved all around her body as Kodachi shifted it from one arm to the other, then around her neck, then her hips, then one leg and then the other, coming at Ranma-chan at all sorts of odd angles as she was forced to keep hers in motion the full time. The thing kept striking at her in such a way as to keep her off-balance, but then Kodachi surprised her by releasing hers in a throw that sent it bounding against the arena hoops, forcing Ranma-chan to defend her backside, only to whirl about as Kodachi recovered the hoop and attacked with it again, keeping Ranma-chan momentarily on the defensive.

Momentarily, that is, until Ranma-chan decided to break the impasse, darting to the side before flipping herself over into a one-hand stand from which she was able to flip up onto the ropes and gain altitude. Once airborne she back-  
flipped over the astonished Kodachi and looped her hoop around the other girl's arms, using Kodachi's own hoop to snare her in a pincer-motion that immobilized the taller girl. Ranma-chan smiled as she kept up the pressure, countering the attempts of the black rose to free herself from imprisonment, and once Kodachi had seemed to exhaust her resources the redhead smiled and said, "Give up now?"

To everyone's complete amazement Kodachi ceased struggling, smiled at the redhead and bowed her head, saying the words no one who knew her had ever expected to escape from her lips, "I am defeated. Well played indeed. You are a most formidable antagonist. Are you certain that you have never practiced Martial Arts Rhythmic gymnastics?"

"Not since I was little," Ranma-chan admitted as she let Kodachi go, and the taller girl stepped out from the hoops on the arena floor, "You're pretty good yourself. You almost surprised me with that club thing."

"Just one of the specialized techniques of my art," Kodachi indicated herself with a hand, "I, Kuno Kodachi, am forced to concede that you, Saotome Ranma, are indeed a better practitioner of the art than I had imagined. Perhaps you might care to join our team? We could definitely use someone of your skill level."

"Thanks," Ranma-chan sniffed, "But I don't think it could work out. Y'see...my Pop just enrolled me at Furinkan..."

"That is not a problem," Kodachi said, "You could transfer here, and I would be most happy to arrange this."

"But ain't this...kinda an exclusive place?" Ranma-chan shuffled her feet nervously, "My Pop and I don't got a lot of money..."

"I suspected this from your obvious low-born mannerisms," Kodachi grinned, "But as it happens I like a special challenge, and I think I could enjoy teaching you how to behave like a proper lady. If it's a question of money, I'd be more than willing to sponsor such a promising athlete..."

"Ah..." Ranma-chan said dubiously, "Look...the reason I came here was 'cause I wanted to find out what your beef is with some guy who shares my name. I ran into your brother a while ago and he told me..."

"Ah yes," Kodachi sighed, "I can well imagine what Tachi might have told you. Very well, since you are the victor and I did promise you an answer I will tell you what you wish to know, but in privacy. Why don't we retire to the showers while the rest of my girls work on improving their own techniques?" Kodachi emphasized her point with a glare at her eavesdropping schoolmates, who were hanging on every word of their Captain's talk with the redhead. Upon seeing her glare every one of them suddenly found something much more interesting to do, such as cleaning up the mess left behind by the altercation.

"Uh...the showers...?" Ranma's voice squeaked, "That's...not such a good idea..."

"Ah, you are shy?" Kodachi found herself smiling all the more at this, finding her interest in the plucky redhead was increasing by the minute. Assuming a no-  
nonsense tone she said, "Not to worry, we will not be disturbed. Besides, you have been in the rain and a fight and are thus in need of a shower. It it's a question of spare undergarments, I can have new ones made available for you, and even have your clothes washed and dried in the time it takes for you to soak yourself in the sauna."

"Uh...huh?" Ranma gasped as Kodachi took her by the wrist and gently-but-firmly drew her along after her while the rest of the gymnastic students shared knowing smiles and tossed envious looks at the pair making their exit. As soon as Kodachi and her new charge were out of sight the bet-taking began with odds being laid out on what was about to happen...

"Saotome Ranma," Kodachi mused as she began to strip out of her leotard while her redheaded companion hastily looked away, "Your name does conjure up bittersweet memories for me. There was a boy by that name that I knew many years ago...a boy I once counted as a friend, but he betrayed my trust when he and his father took their leave of my family, stealing a few odd trinkets in passing."

"Say what?" Ranma-chan was startled, starting to turn around only to see Kodachi about to do the same, so she hastily averted her gaze and said, "Um...um...you sure the guy did that to you? I mean...his old man, I could believe that..."

"You know Saotome Genma?" Kodachi asked, curious about why the other girl did not want to see another girl naked.

The redhead's expression darkened and her tone became hard, "Sure I know the Baka...he's my...uncle," she said lamely, "I know the Old Man can't be trusted any farther than you can throw the tub of lard..."

"I see," Kodachi mused as she reached for a towel, "Then there is no love lost between you and your...uncle. What then do you know about his son, Saotome Ranma?"

"Ah...Ranma?" the redhead said sheepishly, "Well...I know he gets dragged around a lot to all sorts of...uh...interesting places by the old Panda. They recently just got back to Japan after taking a tour through China."

"Ah...China you say?" Kodachi mused, "Then your cousin is well traveled?"

"I guess," the redhead's shoulders sagged a little, "Look...I might as well come clean with you...I know...uh...my cousin pretty well, and he told me he once met a girl named Kuno Kodachi, but I thought you two were supposed to be friends or something."

"Oh, we were more than simply 'friends,'" Kodachi revealed, "In point of fact your cousin is my lawful iinazuke."

"HE WHAT?" Ranma-chan's head whipped around so fast that she might well have given herself a case of whiplash, then she blinked her eyes and saw the towel that was barely keeping Kodachi within the loosest definition of the word "decent" and hastily looked away again, "Your...your...? You've gotta be kidding!"

"Why should I lie about a thing like that?" Kodachi asked, "It was agreed to by our fathers, or so I thought at the time, until Genma broke the pledge and left me heartbroken without my Ranma-sama."

"I...he...you...?" Ranma-chan seemed to be having trouble finding her breath until her resolve clouded into anger, "That-stinking Old fool! And he never even TOLD ME-AGAIN!"

"I beg your pardon?" Kodachi asked in growing confusion.

"Kodachi," the redhead replied, "I never meant you any harm, I sure as hell didn't know about any engagement, and I'd never have led you on if I did know! I only just found out yesterday that I had ONE iinazuke, and now I find out I've got TWO of you...?"

"What are you talking about?" Kodachi blinked her eyes then hesitantly said, "Ranma?"

The redhead's head fell forward as she heaved a sigh, then asked in sad tones, "Promise me you won't get angry or nothing like that? You gotta right to know the truth...and there's only one way I guess I can show you..."

Kodachi was trying to make sense of the other girl's odd declaration when Ranma-  
chan headed towards the waiting showers, pausing at the entrance to pull off her Chinese shirt and slip out of her pants. Kodachi had a moment to admire the girl's sleek backside, taunt and well-muscled in a way most excellent for any gymnast, but then Ranma-stepped into the showers, prompting Kodachi to follow as she removed her own towel and hung it from a hanger.

"What is it you wish to show me?" Kodachi asked as the redhead stepped under a showerhead and turned on the hot water.

"Ohh-cold!" Ranma-chan shuddered, but a moment later the water started to heat up, so she murmured over one shoulder, "Promise me you're not gonna freak when you see this?"

"I don't understand," Kodachi blinked her eyes as she found herself mesmerized by the falling water playing against the tawny skin of the other girl.

"Just promise me, okay?" Ranma-chan asked, and was it Kodachi's imagination or had her tone suddenly grown deeper.

"You want me to promise not to...?" Kodachi started to say when her eyes got very wide indeed, "Oh my!"

The girl filled out and began a full head taller, her hair shifting from red to black as her full breasts flattered out and became hard chest-muscles. Her physique-HIS physique was unquestioningly manly, and as Kodachi took slow inventory she could not help but notice the very MALE organ that was now sprouting from HIS pelvis.

"I'm Saotome Ranma," he said in a voice two octaves deeper than before, fully apologetic in his tone as he said, "Sorry about this, 'Dachi, but you did ask."

Kodachi said nothing more to this, merely rolled up her eyes and promptly fainted...

"...So that's the whole deal," Ranma-kun said sometime later as he and Kodachi sat atop the Furinkan building several stories above the ground, "I swear to you I didn't know about any engagements, Kodachi, especially not to you or that other chick Pop hitched me up with..."

"Tendo Akane," Kodachi said in plain disbelief, "Whatever possessed you to want to be engaged with someone like her? I frankly do not see the attraction."

"Hey, it wasn't my idea, okay?" Ranma snapped, glowering as he added, "Stupid Tomboy..."

"And this...curse you say you are under," Kodachi slowly examined the unmistakably masculine figure sitting beside her, "It turns you into the redhead whenever you get wet?"

"Go ahead and laugh about it, why doncha," Ranma said sullenly, "Everybody else does! Stupid old man, dragging me to that place when he couldn't understand a word of Chinese..."

Kodachi slowly shook her head from side to side, "Had I not witnessed it with my own eyes...it's incredible...you were so very feminine looking when you fought with me, but somehow I had a sense that you were more like a man from the way you fought. Your posture and balance...everything read MALE to my instincts, but my mind refused to believe it, and now..."

"Now you know the truth," Ranma's shoulders slumped, "You probably don't even want to be seen sitting next to a freak like me. I really hate this curse, but I'm stuck with it until I find a way to cure me so I can be a guy again all of the time."

Kodachi glanced down, "Ranma...I want you to understand something. When you left me all those years ago...I thought it was because you were rejecting me as a suitor..."

"No way," Ranma growled, "I didn't want to be engaged to anybody, but I'd never have done anything to hurt a cute girl like you, you gotta believe me."

Kodachi almost caught her breath, "Wh-what did you say?"

"Huh?" Ranma looked at her stunned expression, "I didn't know about the engagement...?"

"No," she replied, "The...other thing...about me being cute?"

Ranma blinked his eyes at her, "Well, you are."

"I am not!" Kodachi immediately protested.

"What are you talking about?" Ranma asked in growing confusion, "You're a cute girl. Anybody ought to be able to see that."

"Cute?' Kodachi blinked her eyes, then frowned, "I am NOT cute."

"Of course you are," Ranma looked at her more fully and smiled, "See? Do I look like I'm lying? You're cute I tell you..."

"Cute?" Kodachi brushed her hair from the side of her face and exposed the scar she kept hidden beneath it, "And I suppose this is your definition of feminine beauty?"

Ranma leaned forward and examined the scar, then said, "So? You got that saving my life. Why should that bother me? I owe you for that..."

"I won't take any pity from you," Kodachi said sternly.

"What pity?" Ranma was genuinely puzzled, "What are you talking about?"

"You know what I mean!" Kodachi said in accusing tones, "You feel you have to pay me a compliment to make me feel better about myself when you know that this scar has cost me dearly..."

"So you gotta scar, big deal," Ranma shrugged, "I've seen worse. Ya wanna see some of my scars? I've got some real beauties!"

"No thanks," Kodachi hastily said, flushing a bright cherry red as her mind filled with the unbidden image of Ranma's powerful physique with hot water splashing against it.

"You're weird, 'Dachi-chan," Ranma sniffed, then smiled as he added, "But kinda nice."

"Y-you think so?" Kodachi was looking like a small bird as the other boy's smile penetrated through the brief gloom that had touched her expression, "You...really mean it...about the scar and everything?"

Ranma leaned closer and studied the scar, "It's mostly faded, but how come your family never got plastic surgery or nothin'? Don't tell me you couldn't afford it?"

"Ah...no..." Kodachi swallowed, "I...choose not to go for the full treatment. I wanted the scar as a reminder of what my mother put me through, and why I must never allow myself to be like her..."

"Sounds like a good idea," Ranma nodded, satisfied with the explanation as he inclined his head and added, "Makes you look kinda sexy, actually...like a pirate or something. I don't blame you about your mother, though..." he shuddered, "I still get nightmares just thinking about her."

"Oh...she's better now," Kodachi said almost automatically, though her mind was suddenly racing over new possibilities that were opening before her eyes, "They let her out of the sanitarium a few years ago, and she's been on medication ever since. Father left his monastery and resumed control over the family business. He spends part of his time on charitable causes, such as the prevention of Child abuse, though Tachi and I mostly raised ourselves with the help of Sasuke."

"Oh yeah," Ranma smiled, "I remember the little guy. How's he doing? Still trying to be a Ninja?"

"I don't know why he bothers," Kodachi smiled in genuine amusement, "He's just not cut out for following in his family's traditions. He is an indispensable part of our household, however, and a trusted friend. I'm sure he would be delighted to know that you are well. Ranma..." she paused, "You know, on some levels, I am still very angry about your leaving..."

He looked down, "I guess I shouldn't be surprised. The Old Man never thinks about what happens to anyone else when he wants something. I guess he wants this engagement to the Tendos even more than I thought he did..."

"What are your feelings about Tendo Akane?" Kodachi asked directly.

Ranma made a rude noise and replied, "What feelings? She's violent, obnoxious, can't take criticism, thinks she's the Kami's gift to everybody, acts like she's a Princess that other people can fight about..."

"Did you know that my brother has feelings for Tendo Akane?" Kodachi asked.

"Him?" Ranma blinked, "Good luck to the Baka! If he wants her he can have her!"

"Oh, he does want her," Kodachi said, "And I suspect the feeling is mutual, though Akane is not the sort of person who would admit this. I've personally wondered at the attraction between them, but I think they would make a better match than you would to Akane. It might take a bit of finagling, but I think we might be able to switch your engagement to her to him. After all, Tachi is an heir to the Kuno family fortune, and he could definitely insure Akane a more comfortable existence than..." she hesitated.

"Than if she married a guy like me who doesn't own anything?" Ranma concluded for her, "Yeah...that could possibly work out...only how do we convince our fathers?"

"WE do not," Kodachi smiled as she reached into her school uniform and pulled out a cellular telephone, "But fortunately I do know one member of their family who has the good sense to be open to more reasonable prospects," she pressed a "speed-dial" number and waited, then spoke into the receiver, "Hello? Nabiki-  
chan...are you busy at the moment? I'd like to discuss a certain business proposition if you're in the mood for...oh, you'll be on your way as soon as you finish with classes? I'll have the limo pick you up in the usual place. Ciao."

As she folded up the cellular phone Ranma slowly closed his mouth and asked, "You know Tendo Nabiki?"

"We're...associates after a fashion," Kodachi explained, "She's my unofficial financial advisor, and we met because of Tachi's longtime association with her sister. I'm as near to being her friend as anyone can claim to be, for Nabiki-  
chan is a very private person and very well guarded with her emotions."

"So...what's her interest gonna be?" Ranma asked, "She and her older sister were the ones who stuck me with Akane in the first place."

"Just let me do the talking, Ranma dear," Kodachi smiled, "By the end of the day I feel it safe to say that your engagement to Akane will be a thing of the past."

"Great!" Ranma declared with genuine enthusiasm.

"Of course..." Kodachi drawled the words out, "That still leaves unresolved the obligation that our fathers agreed to in our case, but I suppose we could take our time working that one out between us, don't you agree...Ranma-sama?"

"Hah?" Ranma blinked, wondering why he had this sudden sense that he was about to find himself in a very different kind of arrangement...

To say that Tendo Soun was unhappy with what he was hearing would be a gross understatement. In point of fact he was furious and wasted no time in saying, "Son...how DARE you even think about backing out on our scared agreement to unite our families...and for this...Kodachi person..."

"Hey," Ranma said in irritation, "Leave off on the name calling! Kodachi ain't like that..."

"Daddy," Akane growled, "It's obvious enough that the baka has it in his mind to marry Kodachi, and I say we let them. It's not like I wanted to marry the pervert in the first place!"

"Indeed," Tatewaki himself growled in low menace, "There is no justice to be found by inflicting his like upon a delicate flower like your daughter."

Akane colored somewhat at this comment, but felt a warm satisfaction at having someone agree with her for once.

"It's perfectly simple, Daddy," Nabiki explained, "We transfer the engagement from Ranma to Kuno Tatewaki, then Ranma is free to be engaged to Kodachi, and that way we unite the families, all three branches of the Anything goes school, nice and legal."

"Right," Akane blinked her eyes and turned to look at her middle sister, "I what? You mean...Tachi and ME?"

"Ah..." Tatewaki's mind locked up into neutral and in mutually stunned silence he and Akane exchanged wordless glances.

"Well, who else did you think we were going to get, little sister?" Nabiki asked with a smirk, breaking the impasse.

"But-but I don't know...this is so sudden..." Akane twitched her fingers nervously and tried to think of something to say as the thought of being engaged to her best friend was leaving her feeling confused on many levels.

"Akane?" Soun looked in dismay at his youngest daughter, "What are your feelings towards the son of Kuno Godai?"

"Ah...?" another exchange of looks passed between her and Tatewaki, and then both looked down, clearly too embarrassed to continue.

"Akane and Kuno-san are very much in love with each other, father," Kasumi replied as she brought in a new tray of tea and extra boiled rice.

"Kasumi!" Akane was shocked by her older sister's statement.

"Well, it's the truth," Kasumi smiled blandly, "You like him, don't you? You surely don't want him getting engaged to some other girl, right?"

"I..." Akane swallowed, but then something else occurred to her and she frowned in Tatewaki's direction, "WHAT other girl?"

"Eh?" the older Kuno sibling replied, not liking the way he was suddenly being thrust into the spotlight.

"There you have it, Daddy," Nabiki nodded, "And confidentially I think they make a wonderful couple, isn't that right, Kuno-chan?"

Kodachi merely smiled at the middle Tendo girl and quietly slipped her a fifty thousand-yen note under the table.

"But...what of the promise to unite our families?" Genma asked, "Tendo-san and I..."

"We just covered that," Nabiki eyed the man disapprovingly, considering him slow even by the standards of most people, "You honor your pledge by engaging your son to Kuno-chan here and that means the Tendos, Kunos and Saotome can all become one big, happy family, right? And think of it this way...they'll be marrying for love, not because the Kuno family has a lot of money."

"Well, I..." Genma froze as he slowly looked towards Kodachi, then murmured, "Money?"

"Oh yes," Kodachi smiled, "In regards to my father's original pledge I intend to see to it that my dowry is something suitable enough to such an important occasion."

"Dowry?" Genma's eyes took on a glazed look of speculation.

"Tachi will provide his own dowry, of course," Kodachi added for extra incentive, "More than sufficient to keep the family afloat for years, and with a trust fund to be established for the sake of the children they will undoubtedly raise here."

"Children?" Akane blinked.

"Dowry?" Soun's eyes began to match those of Genma.

"Ah..." Tatewaki finally managed to find the words to say, "Of course I would do everything within my power to ensure that Akane-chan is provided with every material resource at my disposal..."

"And just think," Nabiki resumed, "The Dojo will remain in the family and the Anything Goes school will continue for another generation, three houses under one roof...with of course both properties being conjointly shared by the loving couples. It just so happens that I've already drafted the needed documents and had them properly notarized, so all you fathers have to do is sign your names on it and it will be presented to the Kunos for their formal approval..."

No sooner had Nabiki pulled said documents and placed them on the table than the two fathers scrambled in their haste to sign their names, fighting over the pen as they did so. Ranma watched them in curious fascination before his eyes turned irrevocably towards Kodachi, who was smiling radiantly in his direction. He started to wonder if it might be possible that this could work out after all, feeling a funny kind of sensation, like butterflies doing katas in his belly, when he caught the sour look Tatewaki was giving him and realized, with faint resignation, that the future for the both of them was anything but smooth sailing...

Continued.

Comments/Criticisms/Contemplation of the future: shadowmane

Where to go from here? Well, Ranma's (and Genma's) future life of luxury is far from totally insured, and though Kodachi is now the OFFICIAL fianc e, there are still a few hurdles to be overcome, such as Ryoga, The Golden Pair, Kaori and a certain purple haired dynamo who is presently hot on the trail of a certain other redhead. What changes might be worked upon the timestream with Ranma and Kodachi working as partners, and with Nabiki playing family councilor? Whatever happens next, you know it's going to be highly entertaining...so BE THERE!

Jim Robert Bader (Shadowmane)

X

If you wish to check out my other works, Please check out my Fanfiction webpage at: . or it's mirror site at: ~ All related chapters of this series can be found there along with my other works.  



	3. Chapter 3

Knights and Warriors

(A Ranma/Kodachi Fanfic)

By Jim Robert Bader

(Inspired by the works of Rumiko Takahashi &amp; Others)

Chapter Three.

"Ow!" Ranma winced as Nabiki applied the ice pack to his shiner.

"Stop complaining, Saotome," Nabiki chided him, "You're lucky that's all 'Dachi gave you after what happened between you and that Ryoga guy. If I were you I'd try and stay on her good side for the rest of the day, which mostly means keeping your mouth shut."

"I agree with Tendo-sama," Sasuke encouraged his prospective new Master, "The Mistress is very...high spirited, and if the reports that I have heard are accurate, then it is likely you will be sleeping in the kennels tonight if you but push your luck any farther."

"Ha-ha," Ranma griped at the little man, though he privately suspected that the diminutive Ninja was in the rights regarding Kodachi, "Stupid Ryoga...bad enough he's so clueless he gets lost in his own back yard, but throwing those bandanas of his around like they were greeting cards..."

The front door to the Kuno Mansion slammed shut and Sasuke almost jumped with alarm, crying, "Mistress? I didn't hear you knocking! I'm so..."

"Never mind that, Sasuke," Kodachi replied as she entered the living room and saw her best friend tending to her iinazuke.

Nabiki's well-earned reputation as an iceberg was challenged as she involuntarily gasped, not so much in surprise at seeing Kodachi's new coif as it was the imperious glare in her eyes as she regarded her fianc e. Nabiki hastily got up and excused herself, deciding to put as much distance as she could between herself and ground zero. After all, someone would have to survive to identify the bodies for later. She noted that Sasuke was a bit too prompt in offering to escort her to the door, and she suspected the little Ninja was heeding his own survival instincts.

An uncomfortable silence fell upon Ranma as he looked down at the floor, folding himself into a sitting posture on the couch as he tried to think of something to say that could get him back in Kodachi's good graces. He replayed the scene in his mind again when Kodachi had appeared in the middle of his fight with Ryoga-  
summoned there by a quick call from Nabiki on her cell phone-and before she knew what was happening Ranma saw the umbrella hurtling towards her and reacted by catching her up in his-or rather her (since at the time he was in his cursed form)-and sought to transport her to safety. He had been so concerned about her welfare that without thinking he had tried to get her to leave, which just fired up her anger, but as she turned to berate him for being patronizing a stray scarf whizzed by her head, just missing her neck, and a moment later Kodachi had felt a breeze as her pony tail fell to the ground without her.

Kodachi had been stunned at her sudden close shave, but when she recovered from the shock her rage had been something terrible to behold. He winced in memory of the blow that had sent Ryoga flying into the fountain, how he emerged a moment later in the form of a small pig, which at long last explained the reason for his seemingly unjustified anger against Ranma. A short explanation later and it was Ranma's turn to be sporting the shiner as Kodachi turned her wrath upon him then stormed off by herself, leaving it to Nabiki to summon Sasuke and transport him back to the mansion.

"Kodachi..." he finally started to say, expecting a verbal reprimand from her, but instead what he heard was a softly spoken, "Ranma-kun...we need to talk."

Ranma inwardly winced. This sounded VERY bad! Kodachi only used that tone when she was being really serious. He hoped she wasn't taking this business about the loss of her hair that much to heart, because in spite of it all she was still very...attractive in his eyes. He swallowed as he thought this, cursing his inability to voice such sentiments directly.

"I'm...sorry..." Ranma began to say, when to his surprise Kodachi's voice softened and she replied, "Don't be...I shouldn't have taken it out on you like I did. I was upset because you were being such a pig about involving me, but in retrospect I can see that you were only trying to protect me."

Ranma looked up at Kodachi, seeing her hair had been neatly coifed to make up for the loss of her pony tail. It was a different kind of look for her, and while he liked the old Kodachi, this one somehow seemed more...mature, refined, or possibly even more lady-like by his estimation.

"I swear to you, Kodachi," he said sincerely, "If I had any idea this was going to happen..."

"You'd have done just the same and possibly taken injury for my sake," Kodachi replied softly, "I could not stand to see you hurt, my darling, so I am willing to endure injury to my pride for your sake. It was on another matter that I wished to discuss with you, a recent encounter I have had with my brother."

"Tachi?" Ranma replied with surprise, "What does he want?"

"Other than to see you buried up to your neck in an anthill, nothing too special," Kodachi smiled an easy smile as she thought of the childish rivalry between her older brother and her beloved iinazuke, "But he was on a date with Akane when they were surprised in the malt shop by some curious foreign girl who came bursting through a wall demanding to be directed in your direction."

"A...girl?" Ranma blanched, "Coming through a wall? Uh...did they describe her?"

"Indeed, and in some detail," Kodachi mused, "Long purple hair with a most womanly figure and generous assets, dressed in Chinese-style clothing while wielding a pair of Bonbori maces. Does this ring a bell with you?"

"Sh-Sh-Shampoo?" Ranma stammered, "No way! I left her back in China! How did she find me?"

It was several heartbeats later when Ranma realized that he had spoken without thinking once again, and that Kodachi was now in his face hauling him to his feet until their noses were only an inch apart, her violet eyes commanding him to obedience as she growled, "You had better tell me the full and complete story regarding your involvement with this hussy, Saotome...and if I do not like what I hear..."

"I'll talk!" Ranma almost squeaked, knowing without needing to be precognitive that his iinazuke was not going to like this...

"That is...some story," Kodachi finally responded after a long, thoughtful silence, "I have heard of some remote barbarian tribe of warrior women living in the hinterlands of China, but to think that such a mythical warrior comes stalking after you to avenge her disgrace..."

"Hey, it wasn't exactly like it was my idea, you know," Ranma growled as he accepted some snacks from the serving tray that Sasuke had thoughtfully provided, "It was the old man who ate most of their food before I could stop him. We were both kinda hungry, but I thought we oughta ask permission first, but naturally Ojisan always thinks first with his stomach..."

"I suppose it is not to be helped now," mused Kodachi, "But the mere fact that this girl is now looking for you with the intent of doing you bodily harm..."

"Yeah, tell me about it," Ranma grunted as he swallowed another bitefull off of a rice ball, "Bad enough I got that Ryoga guy trying to challenge me to fights, but now with Shampoo in the picture..."

"Problems do seem to come in pairs around you," Kodachi mused, though she was in a much better mood now as she considered the handsome young man who was her iinazuke, "Just how good of a fighter is this girl in relation to you? You say you defeated her easily..."

"Yeah, but I don't think she was expecting me to be as good as I am," Ranma remarked while sipping from a tea cup, "She's supposed to be the best warrior of her generation, or something like that. The Jusenkyo guide called her their tribal 'Champion,' or something like that, and she's pretty strong, able to knock holes in walls and stuff when she comes after me and all that."

"Hmmm..." Kodachi mused, "Perhaps we need to do more research. I could have Nabiki make some inquiries about these Amazons of China and see if she can uncover any useful information..."

"Already ahead of you people," Nabiki herself observed as she came into the room, followed in short order by the purple haired girl in question.

"Gah!" Ranma reacted with a start, only to find the Amazon was frowning at him without obvious recognition.

"You see?" Nabiki hastily indicated Ranma, "That's the only Saotome Ranma that I know, and he's obviously not a girl, so he can't be the one you're looking for, right?"

"Hmph," the pretty girl sniffed before speaking in a curious pigeon form of Japanese, "Short haired girl right, is no Ranma that Shampoo after. Ranma who must die is somewhere else, then? You know where Shampoo look?"

"Shampoo?" Kodachi rose to her full height, giving Nabiki a hard look, to which the middle Tendo girl just winced with a helpless shrug of her shoulders, "Excuse me...we have not made proper introductions. I am Kuno Kodachi, the Black Rose of Saint Hebereke, and you are...an Amazon from China?"

"Is true," the girl bowed politely, "Shampoo come all way from China to find girl named Saotome Ranma. Is obvious you no Ranma Shampoo look for, so Shampoo leave now. You tell Shampoo where find other Ranma if you see her?"

"I will endeavor to remember your name should such a thing happen," Kodachi returned the bow politely, then waited for the girl to exit before turning a cross look towards Nabiki and growling, "I thought I told you never to let in strays..."

"Hey, it wasn't like I had much choice about bringing her here," Nabiki responded, "I saw her come bursting through a wall right in front of me on the way back to my place, and no way was I going to tell somebody like that to take a hike. She seemed pretty upset with your female half, Saotome. You make another enemy over a bread fight?"

"Ha-ha," Ranma sighed in relief, "That was close! Good thing she never found out about the curse..."

"I should say so," Nabiki held up a booklet, "That girl handed this to me so we could communicate better. It's got a direct translation of certain Chinese words into Japanese, and it turns out her people have some pretty interesting laws that you ought to be aware of."

"Indeed?" Kodachi asked, "And how much do you plan to charge us for the information this time?"

Nabiki shook her head, "No charge this time, 'Dachi, just a warning...neither of you guys had better pick any fights with that girl, because according to this book if an Outsider female defeats an Amazon, then she's got to give you the Kiss of Death, which is a promise to hunt you down and kill you..."

"We already know about that," Ranma said tiredly.

"You said outsider female?" Kodachi blinked her eyes, "Are the rules different for the opposite gender?"

"That's what I wanted to tell Mister Macho, 'I don't fight girls,' here," Nabiki explained while hooking a thumb in Ranma's direction, "If an outsider male defeats an Amazon, then she has to give them the Kiss of Life, which is a promise to marry them..."

"WHAT?" Ranma blanched, "You mean if I...?"

"If Ranma-sama defeats her she must marry him?" Kodachi asked with a stunned expression.

"That's right," Nabiki said, "Which means that if she learns about the curse she might elect to call off the hunt and instead declare Ranma is her iinazuke, which I kinda doubt either of you would be all that thrilled about. Of course there is a little finagle room for a Warrior who chooses not to kill the girl she's hunting after, in which case she had the option of claiming her in a same-  
sex relationship, so maybe you guys might consider taking her in a threesome?"

"Hardly," Kodachi's tone was icy.

"That's what I figured," Nabiki's cunning smile replaced her formerly concerned expression, "Which means that I have another little proposal that you might consider, if certain considerations are to be factored in, such as the fact that I need a new CD player..."

"Done," Kodachi said tiredly, having been waiting anxiously for her friend to at last show her ulterior motives for being so helpful, "What is your proposal?"

"Well," Nabiki drawled, "The way I see it, you've got two problems following Saotome here around...both of whom want to beat him up in the worst way. Why not have one problem take out the other? It shouldn't be all that hard to accomplish, and if that Ryoga guy's good enough to defeat this Shampoo..."

Ranma blinked his eyes, "Hey...that sounds like it could work!"

Kodachi's slow, languorous grin was in total agreement about this as she purred, "I always knew that there was a good reason for me to put up with your mercenary ways, Tendo-chan. There are few in my acquaintance who can match you for deviousness."

"Coming from you that sounds like a compliment," Nabiki gave them a cat-like grin before continuing, "Now...here's the idea that I think you could use to work this..."

"Where am I now?" Ryoga complained as he looked around at his present surroundings, not expecting to be answered as he wandered loose on the streets of fair Nerima.

"There he is," Ranma-chan remarked in her newly fashioned disguise, "Just as clueless as ever. I hope this is gonna work..."

"It will," Kodachi replied as the two of them sat upon the branch of a nearby tree, turning to glance off to the side before adding, "And speak about good timing...here comes your other well-wisher. It seems Nabiki got the word out to the foreign tramp so that she is moving into the proper position."

"If this works, then I'm gonna owe Nabiki a real favor," Ranma-chan reluctantly sighed as she dropped from the branch to the ground, "Wish me luck, 'Dachi!"

"Just remember not to be seen by both at once!" Kodachi encouraged, then smiled, determined to enjoy her ringside seat as her iinazuke moving into the proper position.

"...I could have sworn that was Furinkan High school I was passing back there," Ryoga murmured to himself with a much-perplexed expression.

"Hey, Big Boy...need a little clue about your directions?"

Ryoga turned to see a girl wearing a purple haired wig and dressed in some sort of Chinese styled outfit standing nearby while posing in a most seductive manner.

"Excuse me?" Ryoga asked politely, "Did you say something, Miss?"

"I was just wondering if you were looking for a good time, Silly," the purple haired girl said seductively, batting her eyelashes in a particularly meaningful fashion, "If you want to know where to go, I can help you to get off...there..."

"Ah..." Ryoga stiffened (in more than one sense) and blinked, "Er...excuse me, Miss...I mean..."

Ranma giggled in as girlish a manner as she knew how and sidled up alongside the suddenly shy Ryoga, laying it on thick with the feminine charm as she added, "Oh, you big silly...don't tell me you don't already have a girlfriend? A big, strong man like you...why, I'll just bet the ladies are dying to meet you..."

"But-I-ha-ha-ha-!" Ryoga rubbed the back of his head as he nervously chuckled.

"Hah!" Ranma declared as she leaped backward and removed her wig, "Psyche! You really are clueless if you can't recognize me in this wig..."

"Ha-WHAT?" Ryoga bristled, "RANMA? How dare you! How dare you trick me like that..."

"Nyah-nyah!" Ranma stuck out her tongue as she put the wig back onto her head, "Whatcha gonna do about it? Pick on a poor, helpless, cute little girl like me?"

"I'll do more than pick on you!" Ryoga bristled, "I'M GOING TO DESTROY YOU!" and with that he proceeded to chase hard after Ranma, who had already started running around the nearest corner, just close enough to give the perpetually Lost Boy a direct line-of-sight to follow as the battle rage descended upon him.

From her perch Kodachi had to silently admit that Nabiki's plan was so far working to perfection. A moment later, when Ranma rejoined her on the tree branch (having doubled back once out of sight of Ryoga) the two of them watched as Ryoga caught sight of an approaching Shampoo and arrived at the obvious-if-  
erroneous conclusion.

"RANMA!" he cried, "YOU DIE!"

Shampoo looked up in surprise upon hearing the name of her quarry, only to see some strange boy whom she had never before met come charging up at her with the clear intention of doing battle. At once she went on the defensive and prepared to meet his counter, only to be surprise at the savagery and fierceness of his attack when he employed an umbrella to batter away at her bonbori and press in past her defenses. All at once the startled Amazon was finding herself faced with a real battle.

"Not too shabby," Kodachi mused aloud, turning to Ranma before adding, "You played your part to perfection. I had no idea you were so accomplished an actress."

"Thanks," Ranma said, "But if I had to do that for another minute I think I'd be sick. He really is a clueless moron."

"Be thankful for his gullibility," Kodachi mused, "If he knew how much trouble he will shortly be in, I doubt much that he would thank us. Congratulations...you are to be complimented for the effectiveness of your scheme, Nabiki."

"Thanks," Nabiki said as she appeared at the base of their tree, "But for this to really work, I think you'd better put in an appearance as yourself, Ranma-  
kun, before Joy Boy there really loses control and does the lady some serious damage."

"Good point," Ranma sighed, handing her wig over to Kodachi, "Shampoo may be tough, but I don't think she knows what she's up against this time. Wouldn't do to have Ryoga really hurt her, huh?"

"A point well taken," Kodachi conceded, "I believe that I will come with you, I should like to witness this up close with my own two eyes."

"Gotta admit, I'd like to see this for myself," Nabiki smiled, "It's always a pleasure to see a plan come together."

"Indeed," Kodachi mused, "And if your information is accurate, then it would do us well to welcome the happy couple into matrimonial bliss...assuming we are in time to prevent funeral services from being required..."

Shampoo knew that she was in for a fight the moment the strange boy launched his attack on her without warning, rhyme or reason. The boy was powerful, even stronger than herself, and an extremely good fighter, if perhaps a bit slow and ungainly, which made it easy for her to evade his initial attacks. One punch had collapsed a wall behind her, though, and she doubted the boy knew the Bakusai Tenketsu, which meant that he had a lot of strength and some control of his Chi behind his punches. They would likely hurt if she allowed him to connect, and he had more mass behind him than her own more slender body, a fact that gave her the edge in speed as she dodged his assaults and deflected those punches which did come near to connecting.

The infuriating thing was that he kept calling her Ranma, which meant that he was either looking for her prey or had confused her with that redheaded girl who had defeated Shampoo before her own village. This seemed rather foolish to her since anyone could tell that her hair was purple and not red. That this boy might be a friend to her enemy had occurred to her as an afterthought as she circled around and sought an opening, in which case she would have to defeat him quickly in order to obtain information about her enemy's present location.

There-the opening materialized, and like a shot Shampoo moved forward to strike a solid blow to the boy's undefended chest...and felt pain jolt from her hand up her arm all the way to her shoulder! Striking the boy had been like hitting a rock...his muscles were thick and much too tense for the sort of low-  
power strike that she had been using. Stupid, she chided herself as the realization hit her that she should have focused more of her Chi into the punch, but the next second she felt the back of his fist ring against her head, knocking her flying backward while Chinese fireworks exploded before her vision.

"Is that the best you can do?" Ryoga sneered, "You hit like a girl, Ranma!"

Several blocks away the real Ranma winced, "Oooh...that's gonna hurt..."

"It may well leave a mark in the morning," Kodachi agreed, "But she is not yet fully out of commission."

"Got that right," Nabiki agreed, "What is she made of anyway? A normal person would have lost their head if Hibiki hit them like that..."

Shampoo would have agreed with that assessment were it not that her own head was aching badly. She had not been hit like that since that time she had lost her temper during practice! Obviously this man was a LOT stronger than she had estimated, but his cutting remark about "hitting like a girl" rankled her Amazon pride, so she shook off her dazedness and allowed her own strength to be bolstered by her anger.

Sharpening her focus just in time to dodge his next attack, she reached out to her side and pulled her Bonbori out of concealment, flashing them at the angry boy in what she had meant to be a threatening gesture. He took one good hit in the face and staggered backward, but then he reached over and pulled that umbrella from the pack that was near to his feet, flashing it out like a weapon and growling, "It's gonna take more than a cheap shot like that to take me down, Ranma!"

"Why you call Shampoo Ranma?" she demanded angrily, holding her maces at the ready.

"I won't fall for any of your tricks this time!" Ryoga cried as he thrust his umbrella forward, stabbing again and again while Shampoo did her level best to deflect his attacks, still seeking for an opening in his defenses.

"Well now," Kodachi mused, "This is turning out to be quite the interesting match..."

"You're telling me?" Nabiki complained, "If I'd known this show would be this good I could have made a fortune selling tickets."

"Too bad," Ranma smiled, "It's almost over."

"Huh?" both women looked at him in puzzlement, Kodachi saying, "What do you mean...?"

All at once Ryoga made a powerful swing that disarmed one of Shampoo's maces, but the move left him seemingly open to a counter attack, and Shampoo thrust forward with her other mace, thinking this time to strike a vital center, only to have his fist move to intercept with a solid blow that actually dented her bonbori, and then it was Shampoo who was open and vulnerable as Ryoga struck her soundly with his umbrella, driving her to her knees as she nearly lost consciousness, this second blow to her head actually making her see double.

"This ends now, Ranma!" Ryoga cried, preparing to finish off his defeated opponent. As he drew back for a final smash with his weapon, however, a voice called out to him, distracting his attention.

"Yo, Ryoga!"

"Huh?" Ryoga turned to see Ranma waving at him from across the street, which left him gaping in confusion as he tried to figure out how Ranma could be in two places at once, both male and female aspects.

The slow gears in the Lost Boy's brain began to grind over this fact, wondering if Ranma had found a way to split himself off from his cursed form, and while he tried to fathom this out Shampoo managed to partially recover. Still seeing red before her eyes, she attacked the boy from her kneeling position, her hand aimed for his stomach, though it actually struck a wee bit lower, and suddenly Ryoga went cross-eyed as the impact made itself known even to his own hardened nervous system. Without a word he collapsed on top of Shampoo, who was not prepared for his greater mass as he pressed her down onto the asphalt. For a moment she struggled to try and free herself from the boy atop her, but she was too weak and exhausted, and her injuries took what remained of her strength away. After a minute she gave up the task and tried to think of something else she could do besides just lie there, a helpless captive of the victor, defeated in battle by...

...By a man...a strong man...stronger even than her...which meant...

"Hey, you need any help there?" some handsome boy asked, one whom Shampoo had never seen before, standing over her with concern in his expression.

"Ranma, what are you doing?" another strange girl was calling out to him from the other side of the street.

"Hey, It's okay," the strange boy called out to what Shampoo could now see was two strange girls (different enough that they could not be a result of Shampoo's temporary double-vision), both short haired, one black, one brown, both equally tall though only one moved with the grace of a warrior about her.

"Ranma?" she repeated aloud, wondering why this boy bore the same name as her enemy...and, come to think of it...he did resemble the redheaded girl...possibly they were related...?

"Uh...yeah...about that," the strange boy smiled lopsidedly, "It's kind of a funny story...tell you 'bout it once I get you two lovebirds over to Doctor Tofu, okay?"

Shampoo was not accustomed to accepting aid from strangers, but under the circumstances she found she was in no condition to refuse the offer, and so she relented to permit the boy and his two female friends to assist her by rolling the groaning boy off of her body...

Some minutes later, in the office of a local Healer, Shampoo submitted herself to being examined by a "Tofu Sensei," a man who had gifted hands and a sure knowledge of pressure points and anatomy. He did some things that diminished her pain and helped her to think clearly once again as she absorbed the new information to which she was being subjected.

"...So you see...I never meant nothing by that stuff that happened back in China," the boy was saying, "You don't really have to kill me because I ain't a girl, but I'm already engaged to Kodachi, so marrying me ain't an option either..."

Kodachi...the black haired one in the green school dress. A warrior mate for a warrior, she could tell at a glance that the dark haired one (who even bore a faded scar over one eye as testament of an old injury which she must have taken in training) was very protective and possessive of her promised husband. Shampoo could see that there were bonds of destiny binding these two together...bonds that would have to be forcibly severed if she were to claim the man for her own Airen. Of course there was the option of a joint union, but Shampoo dismissed that thought unformed, much doubting that these two would be willing to include another...not even the brown haired girl, who professed to being an "associate." But that left Shampoo with a dilemma that needed some thought in order to find a sound resolution.

The boy was the Outsider girl...he had just demonstrated his Jusenkyo curse by changing before her very eyes into the redhead, then back again with a dash of warm kettle water. Shampoo was amazed at meeting an Outlander who had such a curse, but more because of what it meant about the "Kiss of Death" that she had bestowed upon the redhead. The redhead was actually a man...which meant that the Kiss of Marriage was the proper way of satisfying her honor. At the same time that she considered this she matched her thoughts to the first resolution and decided that seeking him for her husband would be a lot of trouble and likely take more effort than she felt was worth it.

And then there was the man who was actually now her husband...the boy sitting on the chair nursing his groin with an icepack, who had-in every sense that truly mattered-defeated her in battle. He was an avowed enemy to this Ranma, and somehow he had mistaken Shampoo for the female aspect of his enemy, which was why he had fought her with such savage fury. That he had impressed on Shampoo his prowess as a warrior could not be understated, and...there was something actually quite appealing about him. He was easily as handsome as Ranma, and much more polite as he spoke the words of contrition at having discovered his error, professing that he had not intended to attack her.

"Damn you, Ranma, this is all your fault!" the boy who had defeated her complained, "If you hadn't tricked me into confusing you with this girl..."

"Yeah, well, you seemed to be handling things pretty good on your end," Ranma replied, "So I set you two up, so you beat each other up. What's the harm here, huh? You got something against finding yourself a new girlfriend?"

"G-Girlfriend?" the dark haired boy wearing the bandana sputtered, "What are you talking about? I never saw her before in my life..."

"But you two know each other now, right?" asked the shorthaired non-warrior, Nabiki.

Shampoo understood what that meant. She had been set up, tricked into fighting against this boy, and now she had lost her battle against him. The mere fact that she had landed a technical knock-out did not alter the outcome...she knew which way her great-grandmother would have ruled the match. Somehow Ranma and his two female companions must have learned about the Amazon marriage rules and acted to direct Shampoo away from this Kodachi's intended husband. By rights she should have been angry and resentful about that, but in truth she was too impressed with this Ryoga to feel that much resentment. By the sound of it the boy had a valid claim against Ranma on a matter of personal honor...

So Shampoo thanked the kindly doctor and got off the examination table, turned and walked over to Ryoga, who just eyed her with a slightly fearful expression, as if fearing retribution at her hand. He was not the contrite or possessive milksop that Mousse could alternately be on occasions, it was a genuine apology in his eyes, and a willing acceptance of any punishment that she might next have dealt him.

Instead Shampoo smiled, knelt down, took the startled boy's face between her hands and moved in closer to kiss him fully on the lips, parting at the last as she spoke the ritual words, "Wo ai ni...Airen."

"H-H-Hah?" her new husband responded, looking stunned as a trickle of blood appeared from one of his nostrils.

"Congratulations, Ranma-kun," said the dark haired Kodachi, "I'm sure the both of you will be very happy together."

"In other words, Boyo," Nabiki grinned, "You've just got yourself a blushing new bride, I'm sure you'll both make a lovely couple."

"C-couple...bride...?" Ryoga made a groaning noise and promptly fainted.

"Airen?" Shampoo asked, surprised and at once concerned for her new husband.

"Aw, he'll be all right," Ranma said, "So...guess you two want to be alone together, huh?"

Shampoo looked at the boy who had caused her so much trouble and just smiled. He would regret taking advantage of her like this...oh yes...an Amazon spurned was just as dangerous as one on a Blood Hunt. If she could not take him with her back to China, then she knew of another way to satisfy the pride of her ancestors...

Two Weeks Later.

"Don't look now," Akane mused, "But look who's waiting for you in the school yard, Ranma."

"What, again?" Ranma groaned, seeing a familiar pair standing side-by-side at the ready, "Won't they give it a rest?"

"Apparently not," Nabiki replied, sounding much too satisfied for his liking, "My guess is she's taught him another new technique, which he obviously wants to try out on you. I'd better go look up my people and start taking bets...this may be even more fun and profitable than the last time..."

"Maybe for you," Ranma growled, "Kodachi...can't you convince them to call this whole thing off?"

"I have to get on to my own classes, Darling," Kodachi smiled a bit sweetly, "And I have tried to dissuade them, but you know what Shampoo said before about having to satisfy her people that she has avenged the wound to her pride which you have given. If anything, she has made ominous noises about contacting some Elder from her village, to whom I believe she is related, for special instructions on how to make her husband into an even greater fighter."

"A greater fighter?" Ranma groaned, "That's all I need! That jerk's already strong enough, last time we almost wrecked the whole school building..."

"Well, that's your problem," Akane said cheerfully as she hurried on past the gates and sought out Kuno Tatewaki, "You two have fun, and play nice!"

"Nice she says," Ranma sighed, preparing for the inevitable as he handed Kodachi his book back, "Hold this for me, would ya 'Dachi?"

"I should have called upon Sasuke's services for this," she grumbled slightly, "But for your sake, Darling, don't take too long about it or you'll have to seek me out in my classes to get back your homework."

"Swell," Ranma sighed as he went to meet Ryoga.

Akane smiled as she exchanged greetings with her fianc , then she and Tatewaki turned to regard the impending brawl that loomed before the entire Furinkan campus. With a sigh the tall boy said, "I really should object to this...as school president it is unseemly for me to abide by violence this early in the day...OOOF! What was that for, beloved?"

"For being a baka, of course," Akane sniffed as she accepted his hand in her own to apologize for her elbow just having jabbed his stomach, "You used to stage those mock fights for me every morning, remember?"

"Ah yes," Kuno said more contritely, "Well, their need has long since passed, but this thing that looms between Saotome Ranma and a boy who is not even enrolled at Furinkan..."

"You want to break it up, be my guest," Akane smiled, "But then you'd have to explain things to my sister, and I don't think she'd appreciate you cutting into her profits."

"Alas yes," Kuno sighed, "Well, it should make for an interesting sport anyway. That Ryoga is certainly a rather energetic fighter, and his lady wife is of surpassing loveli-OOOF! Of course...she is not half as fair a rose as yourself, my love, and I would not dream of comparing the two of you together..."

"Good," Akane smiled, "Long as we've got that settled..."

"Ryoga," Ranma was complaining in a tired voice, "Can't you give it a rest already?"

"Not until I show everyone the coward you are, Ranma!" Ryoga declared with heat, "This time I'm going to make you suffer for everything you've put me through! Prepare to die now that I've mastered the Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire Ryu!"

"The what?" Ranma blinked, "Are you making that up?"

Shampoo just smiled, pride in her warrior husband showing. Ryoga was nearly the equal to Ranma, and he was a very good student, having mastered the Bakusai Tenketsu in only five days (during which she had the great joy of ministering to his daily injuries as he toughened up his body). The Chestnut Fist had been somewhat more painful for her man, (causing her to administer many a loving kiss to his burned fingers) but now Ryoga stood fortified with speed and power enough to destroy a small army. This time he would show Ranma the wrath of the Amazons, and maybe even prove to her great grandmother that she had chosen well for a husband.

And just think of how strong he would be with her great-grandmother as a teacher? Of course he still had a few problems that needed to be overcome, such as his problem with directions, the way he kept passing out when she tried to show him her affections, the problem with the nosebleeds, and-not to be overlooked among his drawbacks-the fact that he possessed a rather inconvenient Jusenkyo curse. Then, of course, he was a little stupid, and often quite stubborn, and would not always take good advice right away before learning the hard way why it was best to heed an Amazon's council, but...

In truth he had a good heart, he was very brave and extremely loyal, and she knew that he cared for her and would protect her if she were threatened by something beyond even her ability to handle. Then too he was more than willing to help her in seeking vengeance against the Redhead who was now (inconveniently) beyond the reach of Amazon justice. He had to prove himself the better fighter against Ranma before their marriage could be totally official, but she had no doubt he would achieve this very soon with the progress that he was making. Besides, she was rather getting to enjoy traveling in his company, the way they might seem to get lost for days, finding interesting and exotic places that she had never thought Japan to possess. And too, she had grown to find his presence very soothing to the loneliness of her heart, a fine companion indeed, even if he was quite frequently slow-witted.

Life was good, she mused, as she prepared to watch the battle that was looming. By law she could not challenge Ranma directly, but she could always enjoy a little sparring match with that Kuno Kodachi woman. She was...interesting in other ways, and almost as good as an Amazon in her own right. No sense letting her reflexes and combat skills deteriorate, even if Ryoga refused to go all out against her when they were sparring. Besides...Japan was such an interesting place, and that Nabiki had proven to be a wealthy font of useful information...a very fine place indeed, not like the dull, day-to-day sameness of her village. Life as different here, and there were so many interesting people to meet that it did not look at all as if it would become boring spending time with her husband.

If only she could overcome his shyness problem...but one day at a time, that was how a great warrior had her beginnings, or at least that was what her great-  
grandmother would say, and just think of the delight of her husband when he finally got to meet his brand new teacher. Life was seldom perfect, but Shampoo felt that she could manage, and with a little time (and a bit more training) she was certain she would have a fruitful marriage, one guaranteed to yield a new generation of strong warriors who were certain to be the terror of Nerima...

Assuming, of course, that they would be able to find the place when they got older, but a few wrinkles in any marriage were necessary to balance out the good times if her mother and father were any indication on that subject...

Continued.

Comments/Criticisms/Kodachi's Health Food Plan: shadowmane

Just when things appear to be running smoothly for Ranma and Kodachi's engagement, into town comes a new boy who has a mysterious past, not to mention a serious grudge with Genma and Ranma! (Make that two strangers, the other being the kind who can't see three feet in front of himself without thick cokebottle glasses). Be with us next time for: "The Duck and the Swain," or "Have Spatula Will Travel!" Be there!

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If you wish to check out my other works, Please check out my Fanfiction webpage at: . All related chapters of this series can be found there along with my other works. 


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